House of Commons Commission

Norman Shaw Buildings: Repairs and Maintenance

Alan Brown: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the budget is for the (a) refurbishment of Norman Shaw North and (b) new glass atrium roof to be added over the courtyard.

Sir Charles Walker: The budget for the refurbishment of Norman Shaw North is £321.9m, with the new glass atrium roof to be added over the courtyard costing £3.6m.

Portcullis House: Repairs and Maintenance

Alan Brown: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the budget is for work in Portcullis House on (a) mechanical and electrical systems, (b) the roof, (c) committee rooms, (d) AV upgrades, (e) atrium lighting and blinds and (f) refurbishment of lifts.

Sir Charles Walker: The budget for work in Portcullis House can be broken down as follows:(a) mechanical and electrical systemsThe latest business case for the lifecycle replacement of mechanical and electrical systems within Portcullis House presented a total project cost ranging between £129m and £143m. The project will undertake a series of lifecycle replacement works to mechanical and electrical systems within PCH, including, for example, systems linked to heating, cooling and ventilation. The scope also includes some works related to the Engineering Infrastructure Strategy which will provide benefits to the wider Northern Estate.(b) the roofThe roof project is at the feasibility stage, investigating the defects within the glazed panel roof and the main roof. Following the investigation, options will be developed to address the findings. The project report is due mid-2023, the costs for these options are not known at this stage.(c) committee roomsAs part of a larger Committee room project, four rooms in Portcullis House are being upgraded:(i) Refurbishment of in-room ICT/AV infrastructure and furniture (including adaptations to furniture to accommodate new technology)Room Total budget, comprising: (a) ICT/AV(b) FurnitureBoothroyd Room£520,000£435,000£85,000Thatcher Room £475,000£405,000£70,000Wilson Room £460,000£390,000£70,000(ii) Refurbishment of staff table in the Grimond Room (ICT/AV and other furniture upgraded by previous project)Grimond Room £5,500The total budget for Portcullis House is £1,455,000.(d) AV upgradeA new bicameral audio-visual/video-conferencing facility is being implemented for all mainstream select committee rooms (the Centralised Video-Conferencing Facility (CVCF)) to provide and manage hybrid committee meetings for broadcast. It is not possible to apportion this cost by room or building. The total budget for this is £1,884,000 across both Houses.(e) atrium lighting and blinds25 luminaires within PCH atrium are being replaced with a budget of £57k.There are no blinds in PCH atrium, however there is a project to replace the motors in the blinds across PCH and the cost for this is £401k.(f) refurbishment of lifts.The refurbishment of lifts within Portcullis House is being undertaken in 3 Stages, as part of an estate-wide programme of lift modernisation works.Three lifts within Portcullis House (HOPs 107, 108 and 161) have been refurbished to date under Stages 1 and 2 of this programme, with a combined total budget of £1.96m.A further five lifts within Portcullis House (HOPs 101, 102, 105, 106 and 175) are due to be refurbished under Stage 3 of this programme, with an estimated budget of £4.00m subject to final business case approval.

Ministry of Justice

Courts and Prisons: Buildings

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April to Question 181017 on Courts and Prisons: Buildings, whether his Department has commissioned a survey to identify buildings within the (a) prison and (b) court and tribunal estate which may have been constructed with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete.

Damian Hinds: Surveys were undertaken across the Court and Tribunal estate during 2021/22, during which a small minority - 6 buildings – were identified that may include the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete.We are working rapidly to identify any instances where Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete may be in place across the prison estate and any remedial action needed.

Child Trust Fund: Disability

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on allowing access to Child Trust Funds using DWP Appointee status as a proxy for approval.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the decision clearance time was for a Court of Protection application as of 27 April 2023.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to help simplify the court process for Court of Protection applications since the publication of the Mental Capacity: Small Payments Scheme Government Response in February 2023.

Edward Argar: With the introduction of the online process for property and affairs applications the decision clearance time for a Court of Protection application has been reduced from 24 weeks to 8 weeks. In cases of emergency the court is able to provide a decision within 24 hours.The online process for property and affairs applications was made available to all court users in February. We continue to review and revise the process and the court will continue to identify areas to simplify and remove duplication on court forms, including uploading to the online process many of the forms required for a property and affairs applications. To date, there have been no discussions between the Secretary of State and other Cabinet colleagues on allowing access to Child Trust Funds using DWP Appointee status as a proxy for approval as discussions have remained at policy official level.

Reoffenders: Convictions

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serious further offence notifications resulted in a conviction by each type of offence in each year since 2010.

Damian Hinds: I refer the honourable Member for Croydon North to the answer I gave on 20 January 2023, to Question UIN 125451: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-01-17/125451.

Reoffenders

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the backlog in court cases on levels of reoffending.

Damian Hinds: This Government is tackling the causes of reoffending to make our streets safer. We are investing in probation services and new initiatives to reduce reoffending and beat crime.Over the past 10 years, reoffending rates have been in general decline with the overall rate falling from 31.6% in 2010/11 to 24.4% in 2020/21.Since reoffending is measured over a 12 month follow up period, plus a six-month waiting period to allow offences to be proven in court, these latest offender cohorts have overlapped with national lockdowns and a period of on-going recovery for the courts. As a result, volatility continues to be seen in the reoffending figures. It is not possible to separately identify the impact of the backlog in court cases from other factors on reoffending rates.

Prisoners' Release: Temporary Accommodation

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress his Department has made on expanding the availability of 12-week transitional accommodation for prison leavers.

Damian Hinds: The transitional Community Accommodation Service-Tier 3 (CAS3) was launched in 2021, initially in five probation regions, providing up to 12 weeks' accommodation on release, with support to move on to settled accommodation. Between 1 July 2021 and 17 June 2022, over 2,300 individuals, who would have otherwise been homeless, were accepted on to CAS3.We expanded the service to cover Wales in June 2022, and are now in the process of extending it to the remaining six probation regions in England, to support the thousands of offenders who leave prison homeless.

Prisoners: Women

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women with a fixed home address in Wales are housed in prison broken down by prison.

Damian Hinds: The number of prisoners housed in each women's prison, who have a fixed home address in Wales, is provided in the table below. In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, we have not provided an exact figure where the true number falls between one and five and have instead used the substitute figure “less than 5". This data is correct as of 28th April 2023. PrisonNumber of prisoners with a fixed home address in WalesDownview7Drake Hall12Eastwood Park33New HallLess than 5Peterborough (Female)Less than 5SendLess than 5Styal11

Public Bodies: Inquiries

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the total number of inquiries into public bodies in each year since 2017.

Damian Hinds: The UK Government Inquiries established in each year since 2017 are set out below. These include both non-statutory Inquiries and those established under the Inquiries Act 2005. They do not include Inquiries established by the Northern Ireland Executive or the Scottish Government.2017Elizabeth Dixon Investigation; Grenfell Tower Fire Inquiry; Infected Blood Inquiry; Independent Inquiry into the award of the Magnox decommissioning contract by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and its subsequent termination2018Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review; Independent Inquiry into the issues raised by Ian Paterson2019Brook House Inquiry; Manchester Arena Inquiry2020Jermaine Baker Inquiry; Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry2021Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry2022Angiolini Inquiry; Dawn Sturgess Inquiry; Fuller Inquiry; UK Covid-19 Inquiry; Independent Inquiry into alleged unlawful activity by British Armed Forces during deliberate detention operations in Afghanistan2023 to dateInquiry into the preventability of the Omagh bombing

Legal Aid Scheme

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the average cost to the Legal Aid Agency of legal help and civil representation in cases for inquests broken down by party involved.

Damian Hinds: The cost to the public purse in terms of average cost of legal aid expenditure in respect of Legal Help and Civil Representation in connection with inquests is set out below.Financial YearLegal Help Total CostsLegal Help VolumeLegal Help Average CostCivil Rep Total CostsCivil Rep VolumeCivil Rep Average Costs2013-14£301,47888£3,426£43,0103£14,3372014-15£452,95190£5,033£190,87226£7,3412015 -16£385,84399£3,897£479,11754£8,8732016-17£736,115110£6,692£735,10676£9,6722017-18£791,600138£5,736£706,85985£8,3162018-19£956,199144£6,640£1,094,962130£8,4232019-20£2,036,248219£9,298£1,742,653188£9,2692020-21£1,317,168182£7,237£1,179,177154£7,6572021-22£1,594,679247£6,456£1,013,111136£7,449 These figures are based on cases closed in the relevant period and show the data from the introduction of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 to the most recent period for which data is available. Expenditure for 2022-23 is not due for release until later in the year.Generally, legal aid is not granted to more than one party involved with the inquest. Legal aid is usually only available to family members of the deceased, subject to the relevant eligibility criteria being met.The LAA’s starting point is that, although legal aid can only be provided to an individual, the provision of services to a family member of the deceased in relation to an inquest fulfils the State’s obligations to the family as a whole. There could be exceptions to this where there is a legal conflict of interest, but not simply because members of the family do not wish to be represented together.

Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with Leader of the House on the parliamentary timetable for legislative proposals to protect journalists from Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation before the end of the Parliament.

Edward Argar: The Government has announced its intention to legislate on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation when parliamentary time allows. We are engaging with all interested parties, including the Leader of the House, to find the best way forward to tackle this important issue via the most appropriate legislative vehicle and will announce the timetable in the usual way.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people in UK prisons were foreign nationals in each year since 2019.

Damian Hinds: You have requested information for the UK but we only have data for England & Wales which can be found at the link below (Tab A1.9i). The proportions can be calculated from that table: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1094517/Population_30June2022_Annual.ods.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Culture: EU Countries

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support cultural organisations to build and maintain relationships with European partners following the UK’s exit from the European Union.

Julia Lopez: The Department is taking a number of steps to deepen the longstanding relationships with our European partners — and, indeed, with countries in other continents across the globe — for instance by supporting the British Council’s Seasons of Culture, via bilateral agreements with other Governments, and through our membership of multilateral fora such as the Council of Europe and UNESCO. Ministers also undertake regular international visits and hold virtual meetings to champion British arts and cultural organisations, and engage in regular dialogue with counterparts from key partner countries.To give a recent example, in March 2023 the Department supported the UK-France Summit. The communiqué from this acknowledged our deep cultural connections and shared interests and agreed to develop people-to-people initiatives including encouraging mobility, culture, and exchanges, within the framework of the EU-UK relationship.The Department also funds Arts Council England to support the sector to forge direct and deeper links at an institution-to-institution level. We agreed an objective with Arts Council England to ‘Help the Cultural Sector to Work Internationally’. This is included in its 2021–24 Delivery Plan and covered in accountability meetings.

Culture: Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) furlough and (b) other support provided by her Department to the cultural sector during the covid-19 pandemic on the retention of jobs in that sector.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many organisations in the cultural sector received (a) furlough and (b) other financial support from her Department during the covid-19 pandemic.

Julia Lopez: HM Treasury (HMT) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have published a range of detailed statistics relating to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. The information can be found on the GOV.UK website. Interim evaluations of these schemes were published in October 2022, and HMT and HMRC plan to publish the final evaluations later this year.Alongside the support provided by HM Treasury and HMRC, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport provided over £1.57 billion of funding to the cultural sector during the Covid-19 pandemic through the Culture Recovery Fund (CRF). This unprecedented funding supported nearly 220,000 jobs and 5,000 organisations. An evaluation of the CRF was published on the GOV.UK website on 21 April 2023 and includes further details of the support provided to the sector.

Music Venues: Bradford West

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding her Department is providing to grassroots music venues in Bradford West constituency.

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment with the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the potential merits of introducing similar tax reliefs for grassroots music venues as exist for other cultural businesses.

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to supporting our grassroots music venues, which are the lifeblood and research and development centres of our world-leading music sector.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in regular discussions with all parts of the music industry, including live venues at every level. We are working with industry and across Government to improve the sector's economic resilience to future economic shocks, as we did through the pandemic, and the recent Energy Bills Support Scheme.We will continue to engage with the sector on the impact of current pressures. As part of this engagement, I recently met the Music Venues Trust to discuss issues facing the live music sector, and how to support growth of the music sector and wider Creative Industries.Regarding support for Bradford West specifically, across all artforms and disciplines, the Arts Council has invested £21.86 million since 2018/19 in 145 projects. This includes seven successful music specific applications, including:Nightrain, a 400 capacity live music venue, received £11,000 in 2021 via the Supporting Grassroots Live Music Fund to purchase new sound equipment, which enabled the venue to offer more opportunities to up and coming bands.Nightrain also received two Culture Recovery Fund awards, totalling £168,500.18 Bradford West based projects received Culture Recovery Funding totalling £3.93 million. These included producers and cultural venue The Brick Box, including The Brick Box Rooms, which are often utilised for music performances. The Brick Box received £25,000 through the Arts Council’s Emergency Response funds for organisations, £105,000 through Culture Recovery Fund and £90,000 in National Lottery Project Grants.Another music sector organisation which received Culture Recovery Fund support was Pro Audio Systems, who received £263,000, enabling the provision of quality electronic audio equipment to venues in the region.Lukas Hornby, Bradford-based producer, DJ, VJ, composer and musician received £2,500 from the Arts Council’s Emergency Response fund for individuals.National Lottery Project Grant awards have also been made to grassroots community choirs the Friendship Choir (£14,000) and Millside Voices Community Choir (£15,000).The Creative Industries have been identified by this Government as a priority growth sector. We will shortly be publishing a Creative Industries Sector Vision that will set out our ambitions, shared with industry, to support all parts of the creative sector to 2030. We look forward to working with the music industry to deliver on these objectives.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Tom Hurndall

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a response to Early Day Motion 1064, 20th anniversary of shooting of Tom Hurndall, tabled on 17 April 2023.

David Rutley: The UK strongly believes that journalists and international aid workers should be able to conduct their work without obstructions. We recognise the Government of Israel's need to deploy security forces in order to defend itself but encourage Israel to deploy these in a way which minimises tension and to use appropriate force. In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we have advocated swift, transparent investigations.The UK's position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. We want to see a contiguous West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as part of a viable and sovereign Palestinian state, based on 1967 lines. We urge Israel to halt its settlement expansion.The UK is a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court and we respect the independence of the Court. We do not consider that the ICC has jurisdiction in this instance as the UK does not currently recognise Palestinian statehood.

Israel: Nuclear Weapons

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2023 to Question 182071 on Israel: Nuclear Weapons, when he last reviewed the available evidence on whether Israel possess nuclear weapons; and if he will make an assessment of the extent to which information held by the National Archives in files FCO 177/1175 and FCO 93/7314 accurately reflects the available evidence on that matter as of April 2023.

David Rutley: It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments that we do not comment on intelligence matters. The UK Government closely follows the security situation in the Middle East and maintains a regular dialogue with international counterparts.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the persecution of Baháʼís in Iran; and what diplomatic steps he has taken to urge the Iranian authorities to (a) release imprisoned Bahá’ís and (b) compensate those who have lost their houses and their land.

David Rutley: The UK unequivocally condemns the persecution of religious minorities in Iran. Reports of increased detentions, expropriation of land and destruction of homes indicate the regime intensified its repression of the Baha'i community in 2022. On 20 December 2022, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Fiona Bruce, expressed the UK's condemnation of the sentencing of Baha'i leaders Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi to a further decade of imprisonment. We continue to work closely with our international partners to hold Iran to account for its dire human rights record and raise these issues with the regime at all appropriate opportunities.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of Iran's nuclear capabilities.

David Rutley: It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments that we do not comment on intelligence matters. The UK Government closely follows the security situation in the Middle East and maintains a regular dialogue with international counterparts on this. Iran's escalation of its nuclear activities is threatening international peace and security and undermining the global non-proliferation system. A viable deal was put on the table in March and again in August 2022 which would have returned Iran to compliance with its Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) commitments and returned the US to the deal. Iran refused to seize a critical diplomatic opportunity to conclude the deal with continued demands beyond the scope of the JCPoA. Iran's actions over the past months have made progress towards a diplomatic solution much more difficult. We are considering next steps with our international partners.

Israel: Palestinians

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

David Rutley: We urge the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to engage in meaningful dialogue to further the cause of peace at every opportunity. We welcome the commitments made by Israel and the Palestinian Authority at Aqaba and Sharm El Sheikh: both sides must take steps to honour these commitments. The Minister for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, has consistently offered UK support in progressing dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians, including in his meetings with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and Foreign Minister Riad Malki, during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 10-13 January, and during his regular engagement with the Israeli Ambassador, most recently on 21 April. British diplomats in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv also work tirelessly towards this aim.

Israel: Palestinians

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Palestinian Authority policies on levels of violence against Israelis and Jews.

David Rutley: We continue to urge the Palestinian Authority to adhere to non-violent principles and to refrain from policies that have the potential to promote violence. We have been clear that incitement to hatred or violence is unacceptable. We continue to raise our concerns about potentially inciteful content in Palestinian textbooks with the Palestinian Authority at the highest level.

International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.

David Rutley: The UK Government shares the objective of increasing understanding and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. In support of this, we continue to fund peacebuilding projects focused on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. UK officials also remain in close contact with the US government regarding the Middle East Partnership for Peace Act.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to counter the work of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

David Rutley: The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, has made clear that the UK Government is taking the threats of the Iranian regime, including the IRGC, seriously and highlighted the actions the UK Government is taking to respond robustly to these threats. The UK maintains sanctions on over 300 Iranian individuals and entities including the IRGC in its entirety. We will continue to support our partners to deter Iran's destabilising activity - including through holding Iran to account for breaches of United Nations Security Council resolution (UNSCR) in international fora; safeguarding maritime security; addressing weapons proliferation to non-state actors; and maintaining our permanent defence presence in the region.

Sudan: British Nationals Abroad

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made changes to its advice on the eligibility of British citizens who hold dual nationality for evacuation from Sudan since 18 April 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Our priority has always been the safe evacuation of British Nationals, including dual nationals, and their eligible dependents. The UK has conducted the largest evacuation of any Western country from Sudan. As of 2 May the UK has facilitated the departure of over 2300 people, of which over half were British nationals or dual nationals.

Syria and Turkey: Earthquakes

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to provide ongoing support to Turkey and Syria in response to the earthquake in February 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is a committed humanitarian donor globally and responded swiftly to the devastating earthquakes to provide life-saving assistance to the people of Turkey and Syria. Now that we are out of the emergency response phase, the UK will continue to stand in solidarity with Turkey and to look at what more we can do to support the longer term recovery effort. For the people of Syria, we continue to focus on providing life-saving and life-sustaining assistance, as well as early recovery activities. This is alongside our existing support to the Syria Crisis, which has totalled over £3.8 billion since 2012.

Horn of Africa: Development Aid

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much Official development assistance was spent on the treatment of acute malnutrition in the Horn of Africa in financial year 2022-2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In financial year 2022/2023 the UK provided significant support to address undernutrition, including acute malnutrition, throughout the Horn of Africa. Last year in Somalia approximately 50,000 people received UK funded nutrition and health services. A further 200,000 malnourished women and children benefited from UK assistance in Ethiopia. We will publicise details about the extent of UK support to target acute malnutrition in due course once we have consolidated information from across the region.

Nigeria: Food Supply

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of food security in Nigeria.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Food insecurity caused by conflict, increasing global commodity prices and climate change is a longstanding vulnerability for many in Nigeria. We expect 4.3 million people will need food assistance this lean season (June-August 2023) in the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe alone. Our Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience Programme (HARP) is aligned with the UN Humanitarian Response Plan, which is focussed on North East Nigeria, where we are providing life-saving assistance to address food insecurity and malnutrition, particularly amongst children.

MI6: NATO

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the (a) priorities and (b) objectives are of MI6 for its chairship of NATO’s intelligence committee.

Leo Docherty: It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments that we do not comment on intelligence matters.

Turkey: Elections

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he has taken with his Turkish counterparts in Turkey to help ensure safe passage to polling stations for people affected by the recent earthquakes during the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey in May 2023.

Leo Docherty: We have engaged with the Turkish high election board on the question of voter access to voting booths in earthquake-affected areas. They have described to us the measures they have put in place such as new voting booths, re-registration for displaced citizens and special flexibility on voting locations. Voters will be able to vote in newly created temporary voting booths or, if they have left their original region, re-register in their new locations and have their vote count towards parliamentary candidates standing in that constituency. We have also discussed election observation in earthquake areas with a range of political parties and will continue to do so.

Turkey: Elections

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to send election observers to Turkey for the presidential and parliamentary elections in May 2023.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Turkey on the presidential and parliamentary elections in May 2023.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he has taken to help ensure the (a) security and (b) safety of the electoral process for the presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey in May 2023.

Leo Docherty: We are monitoring the run-up to the 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey on May 14 and are in regular discussion with the Turkish electoral authorities, the government, opposition parties, civil society groups and the Turkish media. We have met with Turkey's high election board and stressed the need for the elections to be carried out in a free and fair manner in safe and secure conditions. We will continue our dialogue with Turkey throughout the process. Following an invitation from the Turkish authorities and in accordance with its mandate, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights has deployed an Election Observation Mission to the 14 May 2023 general elections and the Council of Europe will also send an observation mission. The Government is not sending election observers. However, British parliamentarians will join observation missions mounted by both the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Russia: Political Prisoners

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help political prisoners held by the Russian Government.

Leo Docherty: We continue to attend the trials of human rights defenders and opposition voices in Russia, most recently the court hearings regarding dual British-Russian national Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was sentenced to 25 years on 17 April. His Majesty's Ambassador Moscow has reiterated calls for consular access with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and we will continue to press for medical treatment and his release. We have also sanctioned those responsible for the mistreatment of political prisoners. We are taking a leading role in multilateral fora such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe and the UN Human Rights Council to raise the issue of political prisoners' plight.

Alexei Navalny

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the recent reports of the abuse of Alexei Navalny; and if he will take diplomatic steps to help secure his immediate release.

Leo Docherty: The UK condemns the continuing politically motivated detention of Alexei Navalny. We continue to urge the Russian authorities to release Mr Navalny immediately and unconditionally, as required by the February 2021 decision of the European Court of Human Rights. HMG officials are in regular contact with Mr Navalny's team, and where possible, attend his court hearings. The UK has repeatedly called for Mr Navalny's release, including through the Foreign Secretary's statement to the UN Human Rights Council on 27 February 2023. We will continue to seek opportunities for further statements in support of Mr Navalny.

Entertainers: EU Countries

Ashley Dalton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his counterparts in EU countries on allowing UK support crew members working with touring musicians and performing artists to work in Europe for more than 90 days without applying for a visa.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government is committed to supporting the creative sector to adapt to requirements for touring in the EU. The vast majority of Member States including the UK's biggest touring markets offer visa and work permit free routes for musicians and creative performers. The Government has engaged with the remaining Member States on allowing creative professionals to tour more easily, however ultimately it is up to these countries to align their requirements more closely with the UK's generous rules.

Turkey: Minority Groups

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of the Turkish Government on the treatment of minorities in that country.

Leo Docherty: We strongly support all minority groups in Turkey and encourage the Turkish authorities to safeguard their welfare and respect their human rights, in line with provisions in the Turkish constitution that protect the rights of all minorities. With our partners, we continue to call on Turkey to act in line with the conventions of the Council of Europe and broader democratic norms, as well as making progress on domestic judicial reforms. We keep these issues under regular review.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) role of the Chagos Islands in the UK's security and diplomatic strategy for and (b) potential opportunities for closer cooperation with international partners in the Indian Ocean region.

David Rutley: The joint UK-US military facility on Diego Garcia plays a vital role in regional and global security.The UK and Mauritius have reiterated that any agreement between our two countries will ensure the continued effective operation of the facility. Negotiating an agreement on the exercise of sovereignty will allow us to build an even stronger partnership with Mauritius on security and prosperity in this vital region, alongside other close partners such as the US and India, including tackling shared security threats, and cooperating on marine protection, economic development and illegal migration.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Mauritius on a mutually agreeable solution on the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.

David Rutley: The UK and Mauritius have held three rounds of constructive negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)/Chagos Archipelago. The Foreign Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement (UIN HCWS645) of 17 March 2023 states that the UK and Mauritius are continuing negotiations. The Prime Minister and Mauritian Prime Minister Jugnauth spoke on 14 February. They welcomed the progress to date and agreed to continue negotiations.

Ilois: Finance

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria his Department has used to determine the distribution of funds for the Chagossian Support Package projects.

David Rutley: The Chagossian Support Package funds projects that address the most pressing needs of Chagossians wherever they live. The government will consider proposals from any organisations interested in delivering projects for the benefit of Chagossians.

Ilois: Finance

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding to Chagossian residents in Canterbury through the Chagossian Support Package projects.

David Rutley: The Government is committed to supporting Chagossians wherever they live and will consider proposals from any organisations interested in delivering projects for the benefit of Chagossians.

Ilois

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has had recent discussions with members of the Chagossian community.

David Rutley: We regularly engage with different Chagossian groups on a range of issues.The Government held an engagement event with Chagossian groups in February 2023 and plans to hold further events in the future.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Marine Environment

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to help protect and conserve the marine environment of the Chagos Islands.

David Rutley: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office provides funding to the British Indian Ocean Territory Administration to protect and conserve the marine environment, including through the Marine Protected Area.

Ilois: Human Rights

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to help support the right to self-determination by Chagossian people.

David Rutley: The UK committed in 1965 to cede sovereignty of British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Archipelagoto Mauritius when it is no longer needed for defence purposes.While the negotiations are between the UK and Mauritius, we recognise the diversity of views among Chagossians and we take those views seriously. The Government held an engagement event with Chagossian groups in February 2023 and plans to hold further events in the future.

Ukraine: Armed Conflict

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help protect Chernobyl during the war in Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: The UK is coordinating with key international partners, including the G7, to support the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Ukrainian authorities to ensure the safety and security of Chernobyl and other civil nuclear facilities in Ukraine. We are supporting the IAEA's ongoing efforts to provide technical assistance to Ukrainian authorities. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Chelsea Football Club: Sales

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when charities in Ukraine are expected to receive the £2.3 billion from Roman Abramovich's sale of Chelsea.

Leo Docherty: The proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC are frozen in a UK bank account. They cannot be moved or used without a licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. Humanitarian experts outside of Government are responsible for the highly complex process to establish a foundation to manage and distribute the proceeds for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. Setting up an organisation of this scale rightly takes time.

Treasury

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Counter avoidance Enables amounted to £100,000 to £999,999 in each of the last five years.

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many and what proportion of the individual penalties issued by HMRC which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for counter avoidance enables amounted to a monetary value of £1,000 to £9,999 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to Parliamentary Question UIN 182708 on 3 May 2023

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2023 to Question 181160 on Tax Penalties, how many of the individual penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for inaccuracies within returns or documents amounted specifically to the monetary value of £1,000,000 or above in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to Parliamentary Question UIN 181160 on 25 April 2023.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many of the individual penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Promotion of Tax Avoidance Schemes amounted to the individual monetary value of £100,000 to £999,999 in each of the last five years.

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many of the individual penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for the promotion of tax avoidance schemes amounted to a monetary value of £1,000 to £9,999 in each of the last five years.

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many and what proportion of the individual penalties issued by HMRC which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for the promotion of tax avoidance schemes amounted to a monetary value of less than £1,000 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Honourable member to the answer given to Parliamentary Question UIN 182715 on 2 May 2023

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2023 to Question 182082 on Tax Penalties, how many of the individual penalties referred to issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Failure to Notify amounted specifically to the monetary value of £1,000,000 or above in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to Parliamentary Question UIN 182082 on 26 April 2023.

Treasury: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department spent on staff training related to diversity and inclusion in 2022.

Gareth Davies: In 2022 HM Treasury spent £15,733.58 on diversity & inclusion related training, during the financial year 2021-2022.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System (NPPS) for Deliberate Withholding of Information amounted to less than £1,000 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 27 April 2023 to PQ UIN 182433.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Deliberate Withholding of Information amounted to £1,000 to £9,999 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 27 April 2023 to PQ UIN 182433.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for failure to file returns on time amounted to £10,000 to £99,999 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 27 April 2023 to PQ UIN 182434.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Deliberate Withholding of Information amounted to £10,000 to £99,999 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 27 April 2023 to PQ UIN 182433.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for failure to file returns on time amounted to £1,000 to £9,999 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 27 April 2023 to PQ UIN 182434.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for failure to file returns on time amounted to less than £1,000 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 27 April 2023 to PQ UIN 182434.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for General Anti-Avoidance Rule amounted to £1,000 to £9,999 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC takes a range of approaches to tackle tax avoidance. Regimes, such as STAR and GAAR, act as important deterrents aimed at changing the behaviour of the most persistent tax avoiders who continue to try to circumvent their tax obligations and so avoid making their fair contribution to society. As a result of the action the Government has taken to clamp down on marketed tax avoidance, the estimated tax gap from marketed avoidance sold primarily to individuals, has fallen from an estimated £1.5 billion in 2005-06 to £0.4 billion in 2020-21.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Counter avoidance amounted to less than £1,000 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC has a wide-ranging approach to tackling promoters of tax avoidance. This includes taking action under the anti-avoidance regimes. For example, as at the end of March 2023, HMRC has published the names of 31 tax avoidance schemes to help alert customers and dissuade them from using these schemes. As a result of the action the Government has taken to clamp down on marketed tax avoidance, the estimated tax gap from marketed avoidance sold primarily to individuals, has fallen from an estimated £1.5 billion in 2005-06 to £0.4 billion in 2020-21.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Serial Tax Avoidance Regime amounted to less than £1,000 in each of the last five years.

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for General Anti-Avoidance Rule amounted to less than £1,000 in each of the last five years.

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Serial Tax Avoidance Regime amounted to £10,000 to £99,999 in each of the last five years.

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for General Anti-Avoidance Rule amounted to £10,000 to £99,999 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC takes a range of approaches to tackle tax avoidance. Regimes, such as STAR and GAAR, act as important deterrents aimed at changing the behaviour of the most persistent tax avoiders who continue to try to circumvent their tax obligations and so avoid making their fair contribution to society As a result of the action the Government has taken to clamp down on marketed tax avoidance, the estimated tax gap from marketed avoidance sold primarily to individuals, has fallen from an estimated £1.5 billion in 2005-06 to £0.4 billion in 2020-21.

Holiday Leave: Pay

Chris Stephens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to take steps to reform the way in which HMRC calculates holiday pay entitlements owing to their staff in the context of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts and Ors 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC has already made the necessary reforms in line with the legal ruling Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts and Others 2017, where regular voluntary overtime and similar payments are now included in the daily rate of pay for statutory holidays taken each year. HMRC has paid holiday pay arrears to qualifying current and former employees for the period 1 April 2017 to 31 August 2021. Holiday payments due from 1 September 2021 have been paid to employees in real time by HMRC’s new automated pay system.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for counter avoidance Enables amounted to £1,000,000 or above in each of the last five years.

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs which are recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Counter avoidance Enables amounted to £10,000 to £99,999 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC has a wide-ranging approach to tackling promoters of tax avoidance. This includes taking action under the anti-avoidance regimes. For example, as at the end of March 2023, HMRC has published the names of 31 tax avoidance schemes to help alert customers and dissuade them from using these schemes. As a result of the action the Government has taken to clamp down on marketed tax avoidance, the estimated tax gap from marketed avoidance sold primarily to individuals, has fallen from an estimated £1.5 billion in 2005-06 to £0.4 billion in 2020-21.

Unpaid Taxes

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165453 on Taxation: Fines, how many penalties issued by HM Revenue and Customs recorded on the National Penalty Processing System for Deliberate Withholding of Information amounted to £100,000 to £999,999 in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: The National Penalty Processing System (NPPS) is used by HMRC to record certain types of information. NPPS is a standalone system for these purposes only. It is not used to record all penalties charged by HMRC across all of its compliance or wider activities. NPPS does not exclusively hold data relating to ‘Failure to file returns on time’ / ‘Deliberate Withholding of Information’.

Food: Prices

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with his French counterpart on the French Government's anti-inflation quarter initiative.

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the (a) design, (b) implementation and (c) impact on food price inflation of the French Government's anti-inflation quarter initiative.

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a UK equivalent of the French Government's 'anti-inflation quarter' initiative.

Andrew Griffith: The Chancellor regularly engages with his French counterpart on matters of shared interest, which has included policy approaches to managing inflation. High inflation is not a challenge that is unique to the UK, with many advanced economies having seen record levels during the past 18 months. Food inflation in the UK is in line with other European countries and is lower than in Germany – so the UK is not alone in being impacted by this. We are helping the most vulnerable – who are the worst affected by rising food prices – by providing cost-of-living support worth an average of £3300 per household over this year and last. The Prime Minister has set out that halving inflation this year is one of his highest priorities, and the fiscal approach the government set out at the Spring Budget will help achieve this objective. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast that inflation will more than halve this year, falling to 2.9% by the end of 2023, before sustainably returning to target by the end of the forecast.

Bank Services: Interest Rates

Patrick Grady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of compelling banks to increase interest rate payments on savings accounts in line with changes to the base rate.

Patrick Grady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to encourage consumers to switch their savings accounts to benefit from high interest alternatives.

Andrew Griffith: The Government is committed to ensuring people are supported to save, and that they can access a wide range of competitive savings products. The retail savings market currently offers a range of competitive options to savers, who can now access the highest rates in recent years on a variety of instant access and fixed-term products. I would encourage savers to explore the full range of products available in the market to find the best rates. However, the pricing and provision of financial products (including savings accounts), is a commercial decision for banks and building societies and the Government does not seek to intervene in such decisions. The Bank of England’s independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets the base rate of interest, known as the Bank Rate, to achieve its primary objective of maintaining price stability. MPC decisions over Bank Rate guide commercial banks’ decisions over the retail interest rates they charge on loans and pay on deposits.

Stamp Duty Reserve Tax

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will take steps to amend the legislation underpinning the Stamp Duty Reserve Tax so that newly-recognised growth markets are not required to be part of a recognised stock exchange.

Andrew Griffith: There are currently no plans to extend the recognised growth market exemption from Stamp Duty Reserve Tax to markets that are not part of a recognised stock exchange. However, the Government keeps all areas of the tax system under review.

Child Trust Fund: Mental Capacity

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Child Trust Fund accounts have been locked because the account holder lacks mental capacity; and how much is contained in these funds.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC does not have records of Child Trust Fund (CTF) accounts that cannot be accessed because the account holder lacks mental capacity  When the CTF account holder does not have the mental capacity to provide instructions to the account manager, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its equivalents in Scotland and Northern Ireland makes provision for another person to provide instructions on their behalf.

Department for Business and Trade

Fees and Charges: Disclosure of Information

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of hidden fees and charges on financial and digital transactions on (a) local economic activity, (b) national economic activity, (c) consumers and (d) household debt.

Kevin Hollinrake: Consumer law requires that all charges and fees are clear up front (including those related to consumer credit) and not hidden. Consumers then know what they will be paying and can make choices based between competitive suppliers on that basis. These rules are not driven by an assessment of economic activity nationally or locally but enable consumers to compare prices as they shop. Separately the Office for National Statistics and the Office for Budget Responsibility provide data on economic activity and household indebtedness.

Companies: Sanctions

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will bring forward legislation to make it a criminal offence for people under sanctions to set up UK companies.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, which is currently in Committee stage in the House of Lords, will create a completely new type of sanctions measure in the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 called ‘director disqualification sanctions’. It will be an offence for a designated person subject to this new measure to form a UK company, or to act as a director or otherwise be involved in the company’s promotion or management. It will be for the Foreign Secretary to decide when and how to deploy the measure, alongside the full suite of other sanctions measures.

Batteries: Technology

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to support the growth of battery technology companies.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) and the long-term Advanced Propulsion Centre R&D programme continue to support the development and commercialisation of cutting-edge automotive technologies. The ATF enabled the £1bn electric vehicle hub in Sunderland in partnership between Nissan and Envision AESC. In October 2022 we announced a record £211m of funding for the Faraday Battery Challenge, to support battery research and innovation, bringing the overall budget of the Challenge to £541m since 2017.

Iron and Steel: Russia

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of the amount of Russian steel that has entered the UK after being processed in third countries since sanctions were introduced.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: UK sanctions cover over £20bn of UK-Russia trade, and goods imports from Russia have fallen 99.2% in the 3 months to January 2023 compared to 3 months to January 2022.Through our sanctions packages, the UK has targeted steel products as a key Russian revenue source. Measures have included banning the import of all finished steel, and the application of an additional tariff of 35 percentage points on all steel from Russia. Our most recent package of sanctions, which entered into force on 21 April 2023, bans the import of further steel products, as well as the import of all Russian steel processed in third countries from September.  We will continue applying pressure against Putin and his regime, until Ukraine prevails or Putin ends his war of choice.

Post Offices and Retail Trade

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what specific steps she is taking to support (a) Post Offices and (b) convenience stores with the rising cost of living.

Kevin Hollinrake: Our business rates package announced by the Chancellor in the Autumn Statement will help the high streets and small businesses. This comes after the Government reversed the Health and Social Care Levy, enabling smaller firms to reduce their National Insurance bills even further by increasing the Employment Allowance.Furthermore, on 9 January, the Government announced the Energy Bills Discount Scheme. Under the new scheme, eligible non-domestic customers receive a per-unit discount to their energy bills during the 12-month period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, subject to a threshold level of £107/MWh for gas and £302/MWh of electricity. This scheme followed the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which ensured business were protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period.Additionally, in April 2023, Post Office made improvements to postmasters’ remuneration, including increasing payments for banking deposit transactions by 20%. This is in addition to improvements made by Post Office in August 2022.

Business: Fraud

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to (a) prevent the setting up of fraudulent businesses and (b) improve the security and verification process when registering a business.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill, currently passing through Parliament, includes measures to reform the role of Companies House and improve transparency over UK companies, to strengthen our business environment and support our national security and combat economic crime, whilst delivering a more reliable companies register to underpin business activity.The Bill will make it much easier to identify and clamp down on fraudulent companies, by giving Companies House new powers to check, challenge, and decline any dubious information on the Register, and by introducing identity verification for new and existing directors, beneficial owners and those who file information with Companies House.

Gold: Supply Chains

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions (a) she has and (b) her predecessors have had with businesses on removing illegally-mined gold from their supply chains.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Since the creation of the position of Secretary of State for Business and Trade, there have been no such discussions.

Home Office

Economic Crime

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Page 75 of the Government's Economic Crime Plan 2023-2026 published on 30 March 2023, how many of the extra 475 full time equivalent staff dedicated to economic crime will be (a) newly recruited to the public sector for that work or (b) re-deployed from other roles within the public sector; and how many of those staff she expects to be in place by the end of financial years (i) 2023-24, (ii) 2024-25 and (iii) 2025-26.

Tom Tugendhat: The roles will be recruited through fair and open competition.The expectation is that 160 of these full time equivalent staff will be in place by the end of financial year 23/24, 285 in place by the end of financial year 24/25 and 475 in place by the end of financial year 25/26.

Migrants: Portland

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has carried out a risk assessment of asylum seekers' welfare (a) on board and (b) off the proposed barge accommodation centres.

Robert Jenrick: Every resident at Manston undergoes security checks and screening for health issues. Treatment is given where appropriate. We will assess an individual’s suitability to reside at Portland prior to placement there and continue to assess each person’s suitability at regular intervals whilst on the vessel. We will only accommodate single adult males who are considered suitable to reside there. There are plans for basic medical services to be provided onsite at Portland. All asylum seekers in the UK may contact Migrant Help 24 hours a day 365 days a year if they need help, advice, or guidance raising issues relating to safeguarding.

Asylum: Applications

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support asylum seekers who have received questionnaires under streamlined asylum processing and are unable to access legal advice or translation services.

Robert Jenrick: For those who are unable to return the questionnaire within 20 working days, a reminder will be sent to the claimant allowing a further 10-working days to complete and return it to the Home Office. A further extension can be requested where the timeframe cannot be met, for example because the claimant has serious medical conditions which is impacting their ability to respond to the questionnaire. The asylum claim questionnaires are in English as is generally the case for immigration paperwork across the Department. If necessary, claimants can utilise legal representatives, Non-Government Organisations and other support networks to help them respond to the questionnaire.

Biometric Residence Permits

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason Biometric Residence Permits cards expire prior to a holder's right to remain in the UK ends; and what assessment she has made of potential additional administrative costs relating to cards expiring in that way.

Robert Jenrick: The maximum validity period of a biometric residence permit (BRP) is 10 years, even if the status holder has indefinite leave. This is to ensure the holder updates their facial image at least once every 10 years, in line with UK passports and UK photo driving licences.Our aim is to fully transition to eVisas by the end of 2024 and for this reason we are no longer issuing BRPs with an expiry date after 2024, even when the person’s permission will expire after that date.Once we cease issuing BRPs and existing ones have expired and been removed from circulation, there will be no further BRPs issued, and they will have no extant use. Therefore, the administrative costs associated with issuing and maintaining BRP cards will reduce over time.

Asylum: Housing

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the planned staff to resident ratio is for the Biddy Stockholm barge in Portland Port (a) in the day and (b) at night; and what assessment she has made of the capacity of local (i) police and (ii) other emergency services to provide relevant support to staff and residents at that site.

Robert Jenrick: The vessel will be managed by an experienced accommodation supplier, under contractual terms agreed with the Home Office. The same supplier has safely and successfully managed two vessels for Ukrainian refugees for the Scottish Government over the past year.Whilst we do not comment on exact staffing ratios, the Home Office will ensure sufficient staffing is on site for the orderly running of the vessel as asylum accommodation.Sufficient staffing is on site so the vessel is run as asylum accommodation in an orderly way with minimal impact on the local community.

Migrants: Portland

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Biddy Stockholm barge which will house asylum seekers in Portland Port, Dorset is as advertised designed to accommodate 222 people; and how that vessel will accommodate more people than that figure.

Robert Jenrick: The provision of an accommodation barge at Portland Port will provide the capacity for a maximum of 506 asylum seekers. The vessel will contain multiple occupancy rooms that are an appropriate size for the number of occupants in the appropriate space standard. The vessel will always remain in line with marine industry safety regulations and meet all statutory requirements.

Asylum: Portland

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether all the asylum seekers who will be accommodated on the barge at Portland Port will (a) have been processed before their arrival, (b) have crossed the Channel in small boats and arrived in the UK since the publication of the Illegal Immigration Bill, (c) have individual rooms for sleeping, (d) be able to embark and disembark whenever they choose, (e) have access to free food and soft drinks, (f) have been certified as fit and healthy, (g) be able to access recreational and entertainment facilities on board, (h) have a maximum period specified in advance for the duration of their stay and (i) be allowed to receive visitors; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: Those individuals will be non-detained, provided with adequate accommodation, catering, laundry, facilities to support their well-being and transport.

Crime Prevention: Ethnic Groups

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to enable local and regional profiles ensure transparency on the representation and treatment of people of different ethnicities in the criminal justice system.

Chris Philp: To ensure transparency of police use of powers, the Home Office collect and publish statistics on the use of police powers in the annual "Police powers and procedure" statistical release. This includes data on those arrested for notifiable offences and stopped and searched, including by ethnicity, and broken down by police force area. This is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-walesIn addition, the Ministry of Justice already publishes a range of data from across the CJS with an ethnicity breakdown. This information can be found via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/ethnicity-and-the-criminal-justice-system-statistics-2020/ethnicity-and-the-criminal-justice-system-2020

Asylum: Accommodation Centres

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to launch a contract tendering process for the running of the (a) Wethersfield (b) Scampton and (c) Bexhill asylum accommodation sites.

Robert Jenrick: We do not routinely comment on individual sites or proposals that may or may not be used for asylum accommodation.

Skilled Workers: Visas

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has produced for UK Visas and Immigration caseworkers on handling requests to escalate delayed applications on the skilled worker route; and what information her Department has published on that process.

Robert Jenrick: All applications are decided on a case-by-case basis taking into account all relevant compassionate circumstances. There may be some cases that cannot be resolved within the published service standard, due to missing information, or a suitability issue that needs investigating, amongst other reasons. However, the majority of applications are concluded quickly and there are no systemic delays in the route.

Passports: Applications

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the availability of appointments for priority services at the Passport Office before 6 May 2023.

Robert Jenrick: Appointments continue to be offered throughout this period of industrial action, and new appointments are released every day. As is always the case, for anyone that requires a passport on compassionate grounds for urgent travel, our services are available.HM Passport Office has processed almost 2.6 million applications up to the end of March 2023, with 99.6% of standard UK applications being processed within ten weeks and over 94.6% being processed within three weeks.

Bicycles: Theft

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many charges have been brought for the theft of bicycles in (a) London and (b) England in each year since 1 January 2018.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes official statistics on the investigative outcomes, including charges, of crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, on a quarterly basis.These can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tablesAccording to the Crimes Survey of England and Wales shows bicycle theft is down by 49% since March 2010.

Asylum: Applications

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to allocate additional (a) financial resources and (b) other support to local authorities to support asylum seekers who have had their claims rejected under streamlined asylum processing.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has a legal obligation, as set out in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (“the 1999 Act”), to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute.If an asylum seeker has their asylum claim refused, they usually cease to be eligible to receive support provided under section 95 of the 1999 act 21 days after they are given notice that their asylum claim has been refused, or where there is an appeal, 21 days after their appeal is finally rejected. Asylum claims considered under the Streamlined Asylum Process will not be refused on the basis of the questionnaire alone. Where there is insufficient information in the questionnaire to grant protection status, the claimant will be invited to an interview in order to inform the decision.Failed asylum seekers may be supported under section 4(2) of the 1999 Act if they meet certain eligibility criteria.

Asylum: Applications

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications are (a) lodged and (b) fully processed each day.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum applications raised can be found in table Asy_D01, and data on initial decisions made on application in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Please note this data is published by quarter, not by day.Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relate to the year ending December 2022. Data for the year ending March 2023 will be published on 25 May 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Defending Democracy Taskforce

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with representatives from the higher education sector on membership of the Defending Democracy Taskforce.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Defending Democracy Taskforce includes representatives from the (a) university, (b) research and (c) higher education sectors.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what processes are in place to ensure that representations can be made to the Defending Democracy Taskforce by non-members.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Defending Democracy Taskforce plans to make an assessment of foreign interference at universities; and whether representatives from universities can participate in relevant meetings.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) application process is and (b) appointment criteria are for members of the Defending Democracy Taskforce

Tom Tugendhat: The Defending Democracy Taskforce was established in November 2022. Its mission statement is to reduce the risk of foreign interference to the UK’s democratic processes, institutions, and society, and ensure that these are secure and resilient to threats of foreign interference.The Taskforce is a cross-departmental and inter-agency initiative made up of ministers and officials from policy-owning departments, including the Cabinet Office, Home Office, DSIT, DLUHC and DfE, law enforcement, the UK intelligence community and Parliament.Meetings of the Taskforce will be complemented by wider formal engagement with partners outside central government and Parliament, including in the devolved administrations, local government and private, education and third sectors.The government takes the risk of foreign interference in higher education very seriously.This is why there is already a dedicated cross-government programme of work to assess and counter foreign interference in higher education. This responsibility ultimately lies with Department for Education, but the Taskforce has taken a keen interest in this issue and will continue to support efforts to protect academic freedoms and universities from the threat of foreign interference.

Police Stations: China

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to shut down so-called Chinese secret police stations operating in the UK.

Tom Tugendhat: As I stated to the House on 1 November, and as my honourable friend Minister Philip referenced during debate in the House on 19 April, investigations are ongoing. It would be inappropriate for me to comment any further on operational matters.We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously.

Refugees: Resettlement

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people settled in the UK through the (a) UK Resettlement Scheme, (b) Community Sponsorship Scheme and (c) Mandate Resettlement Scheme between January 2022 and April 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on resettlement in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on refugees resettled in the UK by scheme can be found in table Asy_D02 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relate to the year ending December 2022. Data for the year ending March 2023 will be published on 25 May 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Police: Complaints

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with police forces to help address complaints about police services that have not received a proper response.

Chris Philp: The Government’s 2020 police integrity reforms ensure that members of the public who are unhappy with how their complaint has been dealt with, or with its final outcome, have a right to an independent review - carried out either on behalf of their local Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) or the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).Further information about reviews can be found be found here https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/complaints-reviews-and-appeals/reviews-and-appeals.

Home Office: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on staff training related to diversity and inclusion in 2022.

Chris Philp: We have defined diversity training to mean courses where training includes the awareness of diversity or inclusion as the main theme of the training. This does not include training for specific diversity groups e.g. to support career progression.It is not possible to disaggregate the costs of all diversity and inclusion training undertaken by Home Office staff in 2022 as diversity and inclusion related training often forms part of a wider learning package.For example, the cost for mandatory ‘Inclusion in the Civil Service’ diversity training formed part of a wider payment made by the Home Office to the Government Skills and Curriculum Unit (GSCU) for the broader offer of learning made to the Home Office and other Government Departments. The Government Skills and Curriculum Unit (GSCU) is part of Civil Service HR in the Cabinet Office.

Offensive Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April to Question 181009 Offensive Weapons, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of publishing annual statistics on the numbers of (a) firearms, (b) knives and (c) other offensive weapons seized by all agencies and forces funded by her Department.

Chris Philp: Tackling weapons crime is a priority and the Government is determined to crack down on the scourge of violence devastating our communities. The Government is determined to tackle the underlying causes of serious violence and are redoubling our efforts with a twin-track approach, combining tough enforcement to get dangerous weapons off the streets – including through stop and search methods – with programmes that steer young people away from crime.Data on weapons seizures is recorded by police forces and other agencies in the context of their roles and responsibilities and where appropriate this data is published in specific releases. The Home Office has no current plans to produce combined figures relating to weapons seizures from multiple sources.Weapons seized via stop and search are recorded in the Police powers and procedures: Stop and search and arrests, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022 data set which may be viewed here:www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-stop-and-search-and-arrests-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2022/police-powers-and-procedures-stop-and-search-and-arrests-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2022Border Force figures for seizures of firearms, knives and other offensive weapons may be viewed at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-q4-2022The National Crime Agency keeps management information on firearms seized by police forces.

Public Buildings

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April to Question 181032 on Public Buildings, whether she has held discussions with the heads of the (a) police and (b) fire and rescue services in England and Wales on the potential merits of those organisations commissioning surveys to identify police and fire station buildings which may have been constructed with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete.

Chris Philp: The Home Office has not engaged in discussion with the police or with fire and rescue services about identifying buildings which have been constructed using Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). It is the responsibility of individual police and fire and rescue services, who are operationally independent from Government, to manage their estate and ensure it is compliant with the relevant legislation, including their duties under health and safety legislation to maintain a safe workplace.The Institution of Structural Engineers has published guidance in relation to the identification and remediation solutions for buildings where RAAC has been used.This is available at: https://www.istructe.org/resources/guidance/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-guidance/

Offences against Children

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s totality report into Child Sexual Abuse; and if she will make a statement.

Miss Sarah Dines: The National Police Chiefs’ Council’s totality report into Child Sexual Abuse is a vital tool for government and police policy makers in understanding the scale and nature of the child sexual abuse threat. It is important that policies to tackle child sexual abuse, in every part of Government and across all agencies - education, health, social care, law enforcement, industry and civil society, are grounded in evidence so that they are effective in tackling this crime and safeguarding children. To further build our understanding of the threat, Home Office funding provides a dedicated analyst, working on child sexual abuse and exploitation, in each of the ten policing Regional Organised Crime Units based in England and Wales. The Prime Minister and Home Secretary recently announced a new Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce, which will develop a Complex and Organised Child Abuse Database to strengthen what we know about the scale, risk and prevalence of child sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as rolling out the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme to give a clearer picture of organised exploitation. They will work collectively to enable us to build on the totality report analysis and improve local forces’ understanding of risk in their areas, and thereby better identify and disrupt offending and safeguard children.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress the Government has made on its response to the Independent inquiry into child sexual abuse; and if she will make a statement.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the the report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, published October 2022, what progress her Department has made on recommendation 139 of that report.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, , with reference to the the report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, published October 2022, what progress her Department has made on recommendation 140 of that report.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the the report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, published October 2022, what progress her Department has made on recommendation 141 of that report.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the the report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, published October 2022, what progress her Department has made on recommendation 142 of that report.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the the report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, published October 2022, what progress her Department has made on recommendation 143 of that report.

Miss Sarah Dines: Child sexual abuse is a horrific crime which has no place in our society. The final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse constitutes an important milestone in our efforts to tackle this crime.The work of the Inquiry over the past seven years has shone a light on the institutional failings of the past and given a voice to victims. The Final Report provides truly shocking insight on the unimaginable abuse suffered by children, and draws out stark failings by institutions, leaders, and professionals to protect them from harm. We owe it to victims and survivors to give the Inquiry’s final recommendations proper time, consideration, and attention.As set out in the Home Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement to the House on 20 April, we will publish the Government response to the Inquiry’s final report in May 2023.

Immigration: Advisory Services

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner Level 2 and above regulated advisers are registered in (a) each constituency in England and (b) each local authority of (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) Scotland.

Robert Jenrick: The information requested is not available in the requested format. Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner registered advisers often work in more than one location and across local authority areas providing advice to those that need it.There are 1080 OISC registered immigration advisers authorised to operate at OISC level 2 and above. 1030 in England, 26 in Wales, 14 in Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland.

Asylum: Applications

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time is from submitting an asylum application for a person to be called for their substantive interview.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time is between a person submitting an asylum application and receiving an outcome.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office does not currently report on the average time that is taken between the date of an asylum claim to the date of a substantive asylum interview taking place or the date of a decision outcome as this information is not published or held in a reportable format.However, the Home Office does publish data on the number asylum applications awaiting an initial decision by duration, for main applicants only. This data can be found at Asy_04 of the published Immigration Statistics:List of tables - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-december-2022/list-of-tables#asylum-and-resettlement).

National Vehicle Crime Working Group

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the National Vehicle Crime Working Group last met.

Chris Philp: The Government is committed to tackling vehicle crime and catalytic converter theft.We are working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group (NVCWG), chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce theft of and from vehicles. This includes training police officers on methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles and working with industry to prevent theft. Through the NVWG a network of vehicle crime specialists has been established, involving every police force in England and Wales, to ensure better sharing of information and intelligence. The Metropolitan Police Service is represented on the Working Group and the Home Office regularly engages with the NCA on crime related to criminal gangs.The most recent meeting of the NVCWG took place on 4th April 2023. The Government is also working closely with the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership (NICRP) to tackle theft of catalytic converters. The Home Office provided funding in 2021 to set-up the NICRP, the work of which ensures national co-ordination of policing and law enforcement partners to tackle metal theft, providing training, sharing intelligence to target offenders, and implementing crime prevention measures.Crime Survey data on vehicle theft since 2010 being down 42%. The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of car thefts recorded by the police in England and Wales, including data by London Boroughs.Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Table 1 Volume of Police recorded offences for ‘Theft of a motor vehicle’, Outer London BoroughsArea2019/202020/212021/22Apr to Dec 22Hounslow876792744562Outer London Boroughs 19,305 16,154 17,978 15,472

Department of Health and Social Care

Hospitals: Food

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much of his Department's budget was spent on food in hospitals in each of the last five years; and what proportion of the food supplied to hospitals is produced byUKfarmers.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2023 to Question 904619 on Prescription Drugs, how much money the Government raises net from the approximately 10 per cent of prescriptions which are charged at the point of use after the actual cost of processing prescription charges has been deducted.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Breast Cancer: Health Services

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide specific funding for increasing the number of staff in the breast cancer workforce who deliver systemic anti-cancer treatment.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Tomography

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2023 to Question 147190 on NHS: Tomography, how many available CT scanners were in NHS hospital settings according to the National Imaging Data Collection in financial years (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20 and (d) 2020-21.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether medicines funded under the Innovative Medicines Fund will be included in the calculation of that company's rebate under the Voluntary Pricing Scheme for Branded Medicines (VPAS).

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Doctors and Nurses

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) nurses and (b) doctors returned to employment with the NHS in England having previously left NHS employment in each of the last eight years.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Staff

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications there were to NHS reservist roles in each of the last five years; and how many active NHS reservists there were in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Emergency Services: Recruitment

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how applications for 111 and 999 call handler roles there were in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Databases

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received from local NHS leaders on the proposed federated data platform.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Databases

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Federated Data Platform, what safeguards are in place to ensure that it will not be used to market health or care services and products to patients.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Databases

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether only NHS staff will be permitted to access data via the Federated Data Platform.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Databases

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) patients and (b) groups that represent patients on the proposed NHS Federated Data Platform; and whether his Department has identified any concerns relating to the Platform.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Databases

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the scope of activities for which the Federated Data Platform is to be used; and who his Department plans to have access to that Platform.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Drugs

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce the price of drugs procured by the NHS.

Will Quince: The United Kingdom has well established systems for controlling costs and ensuring we get value for money for spending on medicines. The UK has two mechanisms for controlling overall spend on branded medicines: the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access (VPAS) and the statutory scheme for branded medicine pricing. Both schemes apply UK-wide.The VPAS caps sales of branded medicines to the National Health Service, with the cap growing by 2% each year. Sales made above this cap are paid back by pharmaceutical companies to the Department.All new medicines and significant licence extensions in England are assessed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) which makes recommendations to the NHS on whether they are clinically and cost-effective. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE within 90 days of a final recommendation being made, and offers a unique proposition for global life sciences companies, as with a single commercial deal a company can have access to a market of over 55 million people.For unbranded generic medicines, the Department relies on competition in the market to keep prices down. This has led to some of the lowest prices in Europe and allows prices to react to the market. In an international market this ensures that when demand is high and supply is low, prices in the UK can increase to help secure the availability of medicines for UK patients.

Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether medicines funded through the cancer drugs fund are included in the calculation of the rebate due under the voluntary pricing scheme for branded medicines (VPAS).

Will Quince: The Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) helps to ensure that patients are able to benefit from the most promising new cancer medicines while further evidence is collected on their use to address clinical uncertainty.Funding for the CDF is allocated from NHS England budgets. Unless specifically exempt under scheme rules, sales of products within the CDF are included in measured sales when calculating sales growth used to set the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access payment percentage each year and included in eligible sales used to calculate the amount owed by the relevant scheme member each quarter.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of trends in levels of uptake of breast screening in the (a) least and (b) most deprived areas of England, as measured by the Index of Multiple Deprivation.

Neil O'Brien: Information on the rates of breast screening coverage in England is available at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework/data#page/7/gid/1000042/ati/15/iid/22001/age/225/sex/2/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1/page-options/ine-yo-1:2020:-1:-1_ine-ct-113_ine-pt-0

Radiology: Paediatrics

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will meet with representatives from The Royal College of Radiologists to discuss the findings and recommendations of their paediatric interventional radiology report.

Helen Whately: I would be pleased to meet The Royal College of Radiologists to discuss their recent report into paediatric interventional radiology.

Coronavirus: Screening

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many free covid-19 rapid lateral flow tests were provided by the NHS for people who work in healthcare or adult social care in each month since 1 April 2022.

Maria Caulfield: The following table shows the monthly breakdown of how many free COVID-19 lateral flow tests were provided in England only for National Health Service workers and adult social care.LFD test volumeAdult social care workers (millions)NHS workers (millions)April 20229.84.9May 20223.71.8June 20223.02.2July 20224.83.9August 20223.62.0September 20221.01.3October 20221.41.9November 20220.91.2December 20221.61.5January 20231.20.9February 20231.20.8March 20231.61.1Financial year 22/2333.723.6

Maternity Disparities Taskforce: Disclosure of Information

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the programme of work for the Maternity Disparities Taskforce.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the minutes of all Maternity Disparities Taskforce meetings.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to measure the success of the Maternity Disparities Taskforce.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timetable is for the roll out of the maternal morbidity indicator.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on inaccurate or incomplete ethnicity data.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the full membership of the Maternity Disparities Taskforce.

Maria Caulfield: We updated the Women and Equalities Select Committee via correspondence about various aspects of the Maternal Disparities taskforce in March. The questions raised within these Parliamentary Questions are taken from the recommendations within the Women and Equalities Select Committee Report on Black maternal health, which was published on 18 April 2023. We will consider the findings and recommendations made by the Women and Equalities Select Committee and publish our response in due course. We take the contents of this report very seriously and remain committed to tackling maternal inequalities and improving equity for mothers and babies. We will continue work to make the National Health Service one of the best places in the world to give birth by offering mothers and babies better support and safer care. While births in England are among the safest globally, we must do more to ensure maternity care is consistent regardless of race. To address this, Local Maternity and Neonatal Systems have begun to publish Equity and Equality Action Plans to tackle disparities in outcomes and experiences of maternity care at a local level. The Maternity Disparities Taskforce, which last met on the 18 April 2023, brings together experts from across the health system, Government Departments and the voluntary sector to explore and consider evidence-based interventions to tackle maternal disparities.

Coronavirus: Screening

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much free covid-19 rapid lateral flow tests provided by the NHS for people who work in healthcare or adult social care costed in each month since 1 April 2022.

Maria Caulfield: We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive.

Gender Dysphoria: Greater London

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2022 to Question 72433 on Gender Dysphoria: Children and Young People, what recent progress he has made on establishing a new phase one service in London.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England’s consultation on the interim service specification that the Phase 1 service in London will follow closed last December. NHS England has now reviewed and analysed the responses and a report summarising all the feedback received will be published soon, alongside the final interim service specification.NHS England intends to provide an update on timescales for the Phase 1 services commencing operation, as well as wider progress being made to transform and improve service provision in this important area, shortly.

Sentencing: Sexual Offences

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the report of the independent inquiry into the issues raised by the David Fuller case.

Maria Caulfield: The Independent Inquiry into the issues raised by the David Fuller case is continuing to carefully consider evidence. The Report into the first phase of the Inquiry on local matters concerning Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is planned in 2023. A final report containing recommendations relating to the broader national picture and wider lessons for the National Health Service and for other settings is expected to follow in 2024.

Dental Services: Rural Areas

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to NHS dentist for people in rural areas.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prevent closures of rural dentist practices.

Neil O'Brien: The National Health Service contracts with independent dental providers to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings and practices have the flexibility to recruit locally to meet their specific needs.From 1 April 2023, responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards across England.‘Our plan for patients’, announced in September 2022, outlined how we will meet oral health needs and make NHS work more attractive to dentists and their teams, including those in rural areas. This included improving the 2006 NHS dental contract to ensure fairer remuneration for practices providing complex treatment, enabling practices to deliver more activity than they are contracted to deliver (up to 110% of contract value), and introducing a minimum Unit of Dental Activity value of £23.Other measures include working with Health Education England and NHS England to understand how Centres for Dental Development could be delivered to improve access in areas with a shortage in provision, which may include more rural areas.We are planning additional reforms of the NHS Dental System to be announced later this year, with a separate long-term plan for the NHS workforce, which will include measures to strengthen and build capacity in the NHS dental workforce.

Bowel Cancer: Screening

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the level of uptake for the bowel cancer screening programme.

Neil O'Brien: In 2019 the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) was rolled out in England for the bowel screening programme. FIT has found to be both more accurate and more acceptable to patients, because of its non-invasive nature.To increase uptake of screening NHS England ran a ‘help us to help you’ campaign about bowel screening in February and March 2023. The aim of this campaign was to encourage people to take up the offer of bowel cancer screening.

Health: Screening

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the proportion of the public aged 40-74 who have been invited for an NHS Health Check by their local authority in the past five years.

Neil O'Brien: Between January 2018 and December 2022, 10,106,612 people in England were invited for an NHS Health Check by their local authority. This accounts for 59.1% of the total eligible population aged 40 to 74 years old.Delivery of the programme was largely suspended between April 2020 and February 2022 due to the pandemic, in line with national guidance from NHS England. In the five years prior to the pandemic, April 2015 to March 2020, 13,741,360 people were invited for an NHS Health Check, equating to 87.7% of the eligible population. Data from December 2022 shows that local areas have made good progress recovering the service, with invitations having increased to pre-pandemic levels.The Department is taking forward a programme of work to modernise the NHS Health Check, including the development of a national digital NHS Health Check to complement the face-to-face service and enable people to self-check at home.

Healthy Start Scheme

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of uptake of the Healthy Start Scheme.

Neil O'Brien: The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operate the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. The NHSBSA is committed to increasing uptake of the scheme to ensure as many children as possible have a healthy start in life.The NHSBSA promotes the Healthy Start scheme through its digital channels and has created free tools to help stakeholders promote the scheme locally. The NHSBSA has also reached out to stakeholders to see how it can support them to promote the scheme.

Healthy Start Scheme

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the appropriateness of the upper earnings limits for eligibility for the Healthy Start Scheme.

Neil O'Brien: Eligibility for the Healthy Start scheme is kept under continuous review.  It aligns closely with other passported benefits across Government. There are currently no plans to extend the Healthy Start eligibility criteria.

General Practitioners: Notice Boards

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2023 on General Practitioners: Notice Boards, how many times his Department has been made aware that information on patient noticeboards is out of date since 2010.

Neil O'Brien: This information is not held centrally. The Department is not made aware of information on patient noticeboards that is out of date. As independent contractors, it is up to each individual general practice to check for out of date information and update patient noticeboards.

Electronic Cigarettes

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to increase awareness of the health effects of switching from smoking to vaping.

Neil O'Brien: The best thing a smoker can do for their health is to quit smoking. As shown in the recently published Nicotine Vaping in England Report there is clear evidence that vapes are substantially less harmful to health than smoking.Last year, we published a vaping facts webpage that outlines the benefits of smokers switching to vaping, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/vaping-to-quit-smoking.On 11 April, the Department announced a new national swap to stop scheme offering a million smokers across England a free vaping starter kit alongside behavioural support. More details will be available in due course.

Electronic Cigarettes: Children and Young People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making it illegal for people under the age of 21 to buy cigarettes and vaping devices.

Neil O'Brien: There is no current plan to increase the age of sale of tobacco to 21 years old. Our assessment is that an increase in the age of sale would be a major departure from the policy pursued over recent decades, which has emphasised personal responsibility and help for people to quit.On vaping, there are no current plans to increase the age of sale. However, we have recently launched a call for evidence which will help us to further assess options to reduce youth vaping.

Dental Services: Schools

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an NHS dental service in schools.

Neil O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 March 2023 to Question 152274.

General Practitioners: Labour Turnover

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of NHS flexible working practices on levels of GP recruitment and retention.

Neil O'Brien: The Government actively encourages better flexible working such as job-sharing and part-time hours. To support retention, the National GP Retention scheme is a package of financial and educational support to help doctors who might otherwise leave the profession remain in clinical practice.However, as self-employed contractors to the National Health Service to provide primary medical services, it is largely up to general practices how they distribute pay and benefits to their staff. Employers have the flexibility to set terms and conditions, including to aid recruitment and retention.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of the NHS conducting enhanced surveillance breast cancer screening for women at moderate and high risk.

Neil O'Brien: Women who have been identified as being at very high risk of breast cancer are screened as part of the National Health Service breast screening programme.Last year, the remit of The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) was expanded to include targeted and risk-stratified screening as well as population screening. Targeted screening could include women at moderate and high risk of breast cancer. To date the UK NSC has not made a recommendation for targeted screening of women at moderate or high risk of breast cancer but is currently considering evidence relating to use of risk stratification within the current breast screening programme.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's planned timescale is for the Digital transformation of screening programme.

Neil O'Brien: The first phase of the digital transformation of screening programme, the Cervical Screening Management System (CSMS) is due to go live in November 2023. NHS England remains committed to the Digital Transformation of Screening programme and has been developing new timetables following the merging of NHS England and NHS Digital. Following the roll out of the CSMS system, the timeline for the further development of the programme will be finalised.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women currently receive surveillance screening outside of the national NHS Breast Screening Programme as part of moderate risk or high-risk familial breast cancer management.

Neil O'Brien: NHS England do not currently collect data on how many women currently receive surveillance screening as part of moderate-risk or high-risk familial breast cancer management.

Breast Cancer: Hornsey and Wood Green

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the uptake of breast screenings in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency.

Neil O'Brien: Hornsey & Wood Green constituency falls within the London Borough of Haringey, which is served by the North London Breast Screening Service. Local partners in North London have implemented, and continue to lead, initiatives to raise awareness of breast cancer screening and to encourage eligible women to participate in screening, specifically working to improve screening for clients with disabilities and people experiencing homelessness, improving language support offered during screening appointments by making available tablets with translation applications, recruiting 10 community champions, working 10 paid hours a week, in Haringey & Enfield to support improvements in breast screening uptake, and recruiting a health promotion team to deliver targeted uptake improvement work.

General Practitioners: Labour Turnover

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the retention of GPs; and whether his Department is providing additional funding to support schemes with that objective.

Neil O'Brien: The 2020 updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new retention schemes alongside continued support for existing schemes for the general practice workforce. This includes the GP Retention Scheme, the GP Retention Fund, the National GP Induction and Refresher, the Locum Support Scheme, and the Supporting Mentors Scheme. We are investing at least £1.5 billion to deliver more appointments by 2024 which includes additional funding for these schemes.

Brain: Tumours

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his Department's policy to ensure that all general practice clinicians can access readily available training on the signs and symptoms of a brain tumour.

Neil O'Brien: NHS England is delivering a range of interventions to support general practitioners in diagnosing brain cancer earlier. In April 2020 they introduced the ‘early cancer diagnosis service specification’ for Primary Care Networks (PCNs). This is designed to support improvements in rates of early cancer diagnosis by requiring PCNs to review the quality of their practices’ referrals for suspected cancer and take steps to improve them.NHS England is making funding available to embed clinical decision support tools within general practice and give access to a wider range of diagnostic tests. These tools and tests are expected to support the earlier detection of a range of cancers including brain cancer. A brain cancer education module is freely available on ‘Gateway C’, which offers online and face-to-face training on cancer symptoms for primary care clinicians.

General Practitioners: Telephone Services

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many additional phone lines have been made available to GP practices since September 2022.

Neil O'Brien: NHS England have supported general practices (GPs) to make it easier for patients to contact their GP for appointments and advice by offering a short-term telephony solution until 30 April 2023 to help free up existing GP telephone lines. From September 2022, 31,000 phone lines were made available to GPs as part of the short-term telephony solution.

Breast Cancer: Greater London

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of eligible women attended a breast screening in London in 2022; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all eligible women receive timely breast cancer screenings in London.

Neil O'Brien: The following table shows the number of women screened in London and the proportion of eligible women who attended a breast screening in London between April 2021 and March 2022, the latest data available.RegionEligible populationNumber of women screenedCoverage (less than three years since last test)London865,198480,47455.5% We have invested £10 million into the breast screening programme, which will provide 28 new breast screening units to be targeted at areas with the greatest challenges of uptake and coverage.

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate has he made of the number of patients who have delayed or avoided dental care due to cost in the last year.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact the 8.5 per cent increase to NHS Patient Charges on patients' dental health in (a) Slough constituency and (b) England.

Neil O'Brien: No estimate has been made of the number of patients who have delayed or avoided dental care due to costs. The Department has produced an Impact Assessment in respect of the uplift of National Health Service dental charges for patients in England from 24 April, which is available at the following link:https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/367/impacts/2023/41Alongside this, and in line with our Public Sector Equality duty, the Department has also considered the impact of the change on equality and on those from disadvantaged groups. We have frozen dental patient charges since 2020 whilst other similar charges such as for NHS prescriptions have increased. This is despite rising inflation and increases in costs of delivering NHS care.The uplift of NHS dental charges by 8.5% from 24 April 2023 will raise important revenue for pressurised NHS budgets and NHS dental services following COVID-19 restrictions, and we consider it to be a proportionate rise as it remains below the Consumer Prices Index, which increased by 17.9% since December 2020 and represents a £2 increase for a Band One course of treatment.The qualifying criteria for the range of exemptions to NHS dental charges and support through the low-income scheme remain unchanged, mitigating the impact of uplifts on those who would be most affected. Just under half of NHS dental patients were treated free of charge in the 2021/22 financial year.

General Practitioners: Resignations

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of GPs that have left their practice (a) immediately following and (b) in the year following a period of parental leave in each of the last five years.

Neil O'Brien: The information requested is not held centrally.

General Practitioners: Disclosure of Information

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish data and performance indicators on general practice appointments.

Neil O'Brien: NHS England publish data on appointments in General Practice monthly at the national, integrated care board (ICB) and sub-ICB geographies, as well as practice-level data, which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/appointments-in-general-practice

Dental Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to publish a plan for dental health care.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to prioritise children’s oral health in his plans for dental health care.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to end the use of units of dental activity for commissioning dental services.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to prioritise provision for older people in his plans for dental health care.

Neil O'Brien: We are currently working on a plan for dentistry, to improve access to dental care across England. There are a number of fronts where we need to take further action to support and recover activity in National Health Service dentistry, to improve access to care for all ages.Our plan for dentistry will build upon the first package of reforms agreed in July 2022, including the initial changes to the Units of Dental Activity (UDA) system which were introduced as part of the package, such as the changes to banding and introduction of a minimum UDA value. It will address how we continue to improve access, particularly for new patients, and how we make NHS work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver more NHS care.In autumn 2022 we announced that funding has been secured to begin expansion of water fluoridation, subject to consultation, across the North East. Water fluoridation is an effective public health intervention to reduce the incidence of tooth decay and oral health inequalities and this expansion would enable an additional 1.6 million people to benefit from water fluoridation.

Healthy Start Scheme

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to meet its target of increasing the take-up of the Healthy Start Scheme to 75 per cent by the end of March 2023.

Neil O'Brien: The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operate the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. The NHSBSA is committed to increasing uptake of the scheme to ensure as many children as possible have a healthy start in life.The NHSBSA promotes the Healthy Start scheme through its digital channels and has created free tools to help stakeholders promote the scheme locally. The NHSBSA has also reached out to stakeholders to see how it can support them to promote the scheme.

BUPA: Dental Services

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential effects of the closure of Bupa dental practices on the number of children seeing a dentist each year.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of dental practices at riskofclosure.

Neil O'Brien: Following BUPA’s notice to NHS England of closures, regional teams and integrated care boards across England are working together to ensure that patients of all ages continue to have access to National Health Service dental care. This includes an assessment to identify potential gaps in NHS dental service provision and to consider what actions may be required.No estimate has been made of the number of dental practices at risk of closure. Information on private dentistry is not held. The NHS contracts with independent dental providers to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings.In circumstances where parents are unable to access an urgent dental appointment for their child directly through a NHS dental practice, they can contact NHS 111 for assistance. NHS dentists are also required to keep their NHS.UK profiles up to date so that patients can find a dentist more easily.

Healthy Start Scheme: Food Poverty

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide additional funding to the Healthy Start scheme to help tackle food poverty.

Neil O'Brien: The Department has no plans to provide additional funding for the Healthy Start scheme. In April 2021 the value of the Healthy Start benefit increased from £3.10 to £4.25 per week, providing additional support to pregnant women and families on lower incomes to make healthy food choices.

Bowel Cancer: Screening

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken recent steps to implement the recommendation of the UK National Screening Committee to provide faecal-immunochemical test screening for bowel cancer every two years for people aged between 50 and 74.

Neil O'Brien: The National Health Service is committed to extending the bowel screening programme and have set a timeline for this extension, which is detailed in the table below.Cohort age at first invitationYear invitations startAge 56 years old2021/22Age 58 years old2022/23Age 54 years old2023/24Age 50 and 52 years old2024/25

Dentistry: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2023 to Question 175704 on Dentistry: Stockport, for what reasons his Department does not centrally hold data on the number of dentists.

Neil O'Brien: The General Dental Council (GDC) maintains a register of qualified dentists. The GDC is the independent healthcare regulator with statutory responsibility for regulating dentistry. Only those appropriately registered with the GDC may practise dentistry in the United Kingdom.In order to deliver National Health Service primary care services, a dentist must also be listed on the Dental Performers List of the country in which they wish to practise. 24,272 dentists delivered NHS dental care in England in 2021/22, an increase of 539 dentists compared to the previous year.

Sepsis: Children

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that healthcare professionals receive training on recognising sepsis in children.

Neil O'Brien: The Government recognises the importance of training healthcare professionals to recognise sepsis in children. In May 2018, Health Education England launched ‘Think Sepsis’ a learning package designed to help clinicians spot the early sign of sepsis in children and infants. This is important as 70% of sepsis cases develop within primary care.The National Health Service is working with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Nursing to develop a single England-wide paediatrics early-warning system for children which will help NHS staff to rapidly identify acutely unwell children and respond appropriately. The aim is to develop a consistent approach and common language to promptly recognise and respond to signs of acute illness which may include sepsis.

Department of Health and Social Care: Procurement

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2023 to Question 169238 on Department of Health and Social Care: Procurement, whether his Department plans to make assessments under regulation 57(8)(g) for ongoing procurement for the NHS’ Federated Data Platform contract.

Will Quince: NHS England is the contracting authority for the Federated Data Platform procurement. NHS England intends to apply the mandatory and discretionary exclusion criteria in regulation 57 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 as required by and in accordance with law in relation to the procurement, and accordingly intends to make the assessments to which the question refers.

Palantir: Contracts

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with NHS data staff on potential concerns on contracting Palantir to build the health service operating system.

Will Quince: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not discussed with National Health Service staff any concerns they may have in relation to any potential contracting by NHS England with any potential supplier.Any NHS data services that require a supplier contract will be procured via a compliant contracting mechanism and this will follow the standard processes for assurance and approval. The Department will perform the appropriate role as part of these standard approval processes. NHS England has not made any request to Palantir for them to build the health service operating system. NHS England is currently out to ITCD for a Federated Data Platform for the NHS, however, we would not define this as an operating system.

Medical Records: Data Processing

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with the Citizens Advice Bureau on the handling of NHS patient data and the new Palantir contract for that service.

Will Quince: There have been no specific discussions.

Clinical Trials

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the numbers of patients participating in clinical trials; and what steps his Department plans to take to increase participation amongst diverse patient groups.

Will Quince: Recruitment of new participants into studies is an important measure of research activity taking place in the United Kingdom. This financial year, on average over 70,000 people are recruited per month.The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has published a strategy to promote diversity and inclusion in research and clinical trials. The NIHR also published its first randomised controlled trials data report, showing that trial participant diversity is consistent with the 2011 census population.The Government has appointed Lord James O’Shaughnessy to conduct an independent review into the UK commercial clinical trials landscape. His review will help us to find new ways to conduct commercial clinical trials that will speed up diagnosis, enhance treatment and enable the National Health Service to deliver world-class care.

Protective Clothing: China

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2022 to Question 61151 on Protective Clothing: Storage, what proportion of those items of personal protective equipment have been (a) shipped to the UK and (b) destroyed.

Will Quince: Of the 589 million items of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) referred to in the previous answer of 9 November 2022, no items have been shipped to the United Kingdom.The majority of remaining stock held in China were in categories of PPE for which the Department has sufficient stock in the UK to meet remaining demand and the items were therefore surplus to requirements. In managing down the stock held in China we made donations to other countries. All of the remaining items are being disposed of through incineration.As of 31 March 2023 there were 12 million items of PPE remaining in storage in China. All of the reduction in stock held in China since 26 September 2022 has been through disposal, with the aim of enabling an exit from the storage facility as soon as possible.

Breast Cancer: Health Services

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce shortages in the NHS breast cancer workforce and (b) increase the capacity of breast cancer services.

Helen Whately: Health Education England and NHS England provided £81 million of investment in 2022/23 to support increased capacity and capability in the cancer and diagnostics workforce, many of whom will support breast cancer pathways.To increase capacity of breast cancer services, the Government provided £10 million of funding for 28 new breast screening units and nearly 60 life-saving upgrades to services in the areas where they are most needed, so more women can be checked for signs of cancer. NHS England is also funding a new clinical audit on breast cancer to provide evidence to increase the consistency of access to treatments and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients. In addition, the Government has committed to publishing the Long-Term Workforce Plan which will help ensure that we have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills to transform and deliver high quality services fit for the future. This Plan is due to be published shortly.

Parkinson's Disease: Accident and Emergency Departments

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the trends in the number of A&E admissions of people with Parkinson's in (a) North East and North Cumbria ICS area and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made by the Department.

Kidney Diseases: North West

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of eligible patients with end stage kidney failure in (a) Ellesmere Port and (b) NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB were given access to home based haemodialysis in each year since 2019.

Helen Whately: This data is not held in the format requested.

Bowel Cancer: Health Services

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that the Major Conditions Strategy includes policies on bowel cancer patients.

Helen Whately: The Major Conditions Strategy will draw on previous work on cancer, including over 5,000 submissions provided to the Department as part of our Call for Evidence last year.  Many of those submissions will have included feedback on bowel cancer. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders, citizens and the National Health Service in coming weeks to identify actions for the Strategy that will have the most impact.

Social Services: Finance

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2023 to Question 180229 on Social Services: Finance, whether he plans to assess the impact of changes in the level of social care workforce train and retain funding on charitable and not-for-profit providers.

Helen Whately: We have no plans to make an assessment.

Bowel Cancer: Diagnosis

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve early diagnosis of bowel cancer.

Helen Whately: The National Health Service is improving pathways to get people diagnosed faster once they are referred and is looking into alternative routes into the system, including non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who do not fit clearly into a single ‘urgent cancer’ referral pathway but who are at risk of being diagnosed with cancer. 103 NSS pathways are currently operational, with more in development.The NHS bowel cancer screening programme is currently available to everyone aged 60 to 74 years old every two years. Since April 2021, the NHS in England has been gradually reducing the age for bowel screening. The age extension programme began in 2021/22, inviting people aged 56 years old and plans to complete rollout to age 50 years old by 2024/25. This extension was recommended to improve the number of cancers detected and helping to prevent it in some cases.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Community Care

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of his Department's budget is spent on community musculoskeletal services.

Helen Whately: This information is not available in in the format requested.

Hospices: Costs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) rising energy bills, (b) possible increases in NHS pay and (c) additional inflationary increases in costs on the hospice sector; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support hospice services so that they may support the wider health and care system.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made. Palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, is commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs) in response to the needs of their local population. Any assessment would therefore be made at a local level. Following a HM Treasury-led review into the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme will run from April 2023 until March 2024 and continue to provide a discount to eligible non-domestic customers, including hospices. At a national level, NHS England has released £1.5 billion of additional funding to ICBs to provide support for inflation, with ICBs deciding how best to distribute this funding within their systems. Most hospices are independent, charitable organisations that remain free to set salary rates along with other terms and conditions at a level that reflects the skills and experience of their staff.

Warm Home Prescription

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2023 to Question 179881 on Warm Home Prescription, whether his Department plans to take steps to extend the Warm Home Prescription pilot.

Helen Whately: The establishment, scope and duration of Warm Home Prescription pilot schemes is determined locally. We will monitor the emerging evidence from these pilots.

General Practitioners: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS GPs there were in Stockport constituency in each year since 2010.

Neil O'Brien: The table below shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) doctors in general practice in Stockport constituency from September 2015 to September 2022. DateDoctors in general practice, FTESeptember 201543September 201645September 201751September 201855September 201956September 202057September 202169September 202276 The table below shows the number of FTE doctors in general practice in Stockport constituency from September 2012 to September 2014. Practice data was not available in 2010 and 2011, hence the figures have not been included for these years.  DateDoctors in general practice, FTESeptember 201245September 201351September 201452 Source: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-and-personal-medical-services  Notes FTE refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. 1 would indicate they work a full set of hours (37.5), 0.5 that they worked half time. For GPs in Training Grade contracts 1 FTE = 40 hours and in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard wMDS measure of 1 FTE = 37.5 hours for consistency.Figures shown do not include staff working in prisons, army bases, educational establishments, specialist care centres including Drug Rehabilitation Centres, Walk-In Centres and other alternative settings outside of traditional general practice such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.Data from September 2015 onwards was collected using a new methodology and should therefore not be directly compared with data from before September 2015. Figures from September 2015 should be treated with caution as the data submission rates under the new methodology from practices were appreciably lower than for subsequent reporting periods. This means that the reported figures for the early years of the collection may be lower than the true picture. In September 2015, which was the first extract from the new Workforce Minimum Data Set, only three of four Health Education England regions submitted data.Data from September 2015 onwards does not include estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid staff records.Practices in Stockport constituency were identified using the National Statistics Postcode Lookup.

Preventive Medicine

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer on 21 March 2023 to Question 167154 on sleep, when his Department plans to publish its response to the Advancing Our Health: Prevention in the 2020s consultation.

Neil O'Brien: The Department committed in Advancing Our Health: Prevention in the 2020s to review the evidence on sleep and health. Public Health England commissioned a series of reviews that are now complete.More broadly, the Government announced on 24 January 2023 that it will publish a Major Conditions Strategy. The strategy will focus on conditions that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England, allowing us to focus our efforts on the key actions needed to achieve the Government’s manifesto commitment of gaining five extra years of healthy life expectancy by 2035. An interim report will be published in the summer. This work will take account of relevant responses to, and work carried out since, Advancing Our Health: Prevention in the 2020s.

Blood and Organs: Donors

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2023 to Question 170758 on Blood: Ethnic Groups, which languages literature relating to NHS blood and transplant donations is available in.

Neil O'Brien: NHS Blood and Transplant produces literature relating to donations in various languages including Welsh, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu, Arabic, Somali, Polish, Romanian, French, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Yiddish.

Department for Work and Pensions

Jobcentres: Armed Forces

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training is provided to Armed Forces Champions in job centres.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much it costs to train an Armed Forces Champion in a job centre.

Mims Davies: The Armed Forces Champion (AFC) provides a key role in connecting DWP and the Armed Forces community. As former experienced Work Coaches, AFCs will have completed the full Work Coach learning and had the opportunity to embed their learning prior to becoming an Armed Forces Champion. DWP provides AFCs with point of need learning which covers the knowledge and skills required to provide tailored support for ex-service personnel.The learning includes support with the transition to civilian life, support and training with looking for work, support for those with health conditions and signposting to specialist organisations and charities aimed at helping ex-service personnel, for example the Armed Forces Benevolent fund, Veterans UK, Armed forces Pensions and Armed Forces Job Centre services.AFC training is facilitated by internal DWP officers, lasting 4 weeks, which based on estimated salary costs for both Work Coach and facilitator comes to £4,186. On completion of the 4-week Work Coach learning the AFC completes a 2-day self-paced workbook, using estimated salary costs this equates to £386.44 per Armed Forces Champion.

Housing Benefit: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households were in receipt of housing benefit in each year since 2010 in Enfield North constituency.

Mims Davies: The information requested is available at the constituency level on Stat-Xplore, which can be found here. Guidance for users is available here.

Poverty: Children

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of children living in poverty in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Mims Davies: Latest statistics for the levels of children who are in low income in the Enfield North Constituency and in the London Borough of Enfield are published in “Children in Low Income Families”, and can be found here. National and regional statistics on the number and percentage of children in low income are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, and can be found here. Due to methodological differences, the figures in these two publications are not comparable.

Housing Benefit: Expenditure

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much from the public purse has been spent on housing benefit in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households were in receipt of housing benefit in each year since 2010.

Mims Davies: The information requested is available in the benefit expenditure and caseload tables produced by the department. The latest tables produced at Spring Budget 2023 can be found here. Total housing benefit expenditure can be found on rows 4 and 66 of the housing benefits tab. The number of households in receipt of housing benefit can be found on row 127 of the housing benefits tab.

Jobcentres: Armed Forces

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many job centres have Armed Forces Champions.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which job centres have an Armed Forces Champion.

Mims Davies: The Department’s Armed Forces Champions model is based around champions being allocated to Jobcentre Plus Districts, rather than individual Jobcentres. We introduced our new model for Armed Forces Champions in 2021, which comprises 50 Armed Forces Champions working alongside 11 Group Leads at managerial level. It means for the first time that there is at least one Armed Forces Champion role allocated to each Jobcentre Plus District supported by a Group network, with resources in the network targeted where there is geographically particularly high levels of demand. In addition to the Armed Forces Champions roles, all Work Coaches are trained to provide veterans and others with the help and support they need to access both benefits and employment support.

Prisons: Employment

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of prisons have a job coach.

Mims Davies: This department has over 200 prison Work Coaches who provide benefit and employment support to prisoners in every prison across England, Scotland and Wales.

Asbestos: Health and Safety

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2023 to Question 148528 on Asbestos: Regulation, what the outcome is of the further review by the Health and Safety Executive of its retained EU Law which could impact on the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

Mims Davies: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is not in a position to confirm the outcome of its review of retained EU law at this current time. HSE will communicate its decisions as soon as possible at the appropriate time.

Children: Maintenance

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to (a) enforce historical arrears for Child Support Maintenance payments where a non-resident parent has not paid for many years and b) assess the use of appeals by non-resident parents as a means of avoiding payment collections.

Mims Davies: Child Maintenance Service has a number of different enforcement methods that can be considered when attempting to secure compliance. The use of each method depends on the Paying Parent’s circumstances as well as any potential impact on the welfare of the child(ren). Child Maintenance Service are prioritising our older non-paying caseload with ring fenced resource and using all available enforcement methods: Deduction from Earnings orders, deductions from bank accounts, Bailiff, charging order and order for sale. (Tables 7.1 and 7.2 of the published statistics shown below lists the enforcement actions taken and the volumes of sanctions) If a customer believes we have made an error with the calculation of the amount of child maintenance due, they can ask the Service to review the decision under the mandatory reconsideration process within 32 days of the date on our notification letter. (Table 10 of the published statistics) This allows CMS to look again at the decision without going through the appeals process. If a customer is unhappy with the outcome of the mandatory reconsideration, they can formally appeal to HM Courts and Tribunals Service (Table 11 of the published statistics). When an appeal is outstanding with HM Courts and Tribunals Service, Child Maintenance Service expect that the paying parent should pay the full amount of child maintenance pending the outcome of the appeal. If they decide to withhold payments, the Service will consider taking enforcement action, although they will also look at the circumstances before they pursue payment. Child Maintenance Service statistics: data to December 2022 (experimental) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Pensions: Self-employed

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to increase pension memberships among the self-employed.

Laura Trott: We remain committed to enabling self-employed people to achieve greater financial security in later life. Finding effective and enduring solutions is a long-term challenge given the highly diverse nature of this group, with varying incomes, assets, and employment experiences. The initial research and trialling programme, delivered through Nest Insight was published in November 2022. Their paper, “Exploring practical ways to support self-employed people to save for retirement”, has provided a useful platform to move forward, helping us build our evidence base. We are currently working with software providers to explore the feasibility of building and testing retirement savings solutions in digital platforms. This includes accountancy software and payment platforms, used by self-employed people to manage their money.

Household Support Fund

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department took to monitor the involvement of schools and GPs in the distribution of the Household Support Fund.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department required local authorities to work closely with GPs on the allocation of the Household Support Fund.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions does not proactively gather data on the involvement of schools or GPs in the distribution of the Household Support Fund. The Household Support Fund is a discretionary scheme allocated to Local Authorities to provide support those most in need towards the cost of essentials. It is for each local council to decide how to distribute their funding, within the parameters of the Fund’s terms and conditions. Authorities have the flexibility to design and deliver the scheme through a variety of routes and are encouraged, but not required, where necessary and appropriate to work with third parties, which could include schools and GPs among other groups.

Disability

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department will take to ensure disabled people will be able to access the consultation on the Disability Action Plan.

Tom Pursglove: As previously announced, the Disability Action Plan will set out the immediate action the Government will take in 2023 and 2024 to improve disabled people’s lives, as well as laying the foundations for longer term change.There is already significant work being taken forward by individual Government departments in areas disabled people have told us are a priority. This includes reforms to employment and welfare via the DWP’s ‘Transforming Support: Health and Disability White Paper’, and strategies to address health and social care via DHSC’s ‘People at the Heart of Care White Paper’. These are long term reform efforts which are already underway and outside the scope of a new one to two year action plan.The plan will go further in areas where we think joint action across Government departments can make a tangible difference to disabled people’s lives in the immediate term - or where we can make meaningful progress towards a longer term goal, for example improved disability data and evidence.We are planning to consult on the Disability Action Plan this summer, publishing a full draft of the plan alongside a set of consultation questions.This consultation will be an opportunity for everyone - disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, other interested parties - to have their say on the Disability Action Plan. It will be fully accessible to ensure that disabled people can take part, including being made available in various accessible formats.We will consider all responses to the consultation carefully before publishing the final Disability Action Plan.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is providing support to people who are distressed by the application process for the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Veterans Welfare Service provides one-to-one support to veterans, their families and dependants. Welfare Managers will assist with the completion of forms and offer advice about the claims and appeals process. If the individual is still in service, support can be obtained via their Chain of Command.

Veterans: Proof of Identity

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veteran ID cards have been distributed in each local authority area.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 March 2023 to Question 171351 to the hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (Mr Healey).Veterans Identity Cards (docx, 18.9KB)

Sea King Helicopters: Exhaust Emissions

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2023 to Question 177951 on Sea King Helicopters: Exhaust Emissions, when he was first made aware of the potential link between exposure to Sea King helicopter exhaust fumes and people developing multiple myeloma cancer.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The investigation by the Institute of Naval Medicine was prompted by a Ministerial correspondence to Earl Howe from a Dr Skidmore in May 2022 which raised concerns about carcinomas in crews operating with aircraft doors open.

Armed Forces: Complaints

Sarah Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many men serving in the (a) Army, (b) Navy, (c) Royal Air Force and (d) Royal Marines (i) made a complaint and (ii) received medical help following alleged sexual violence perpetrated in service in each of the last five years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The requested information is not held in the format requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.   Defence has made it absolutely clear there is zero tolerance for any form of sexual violence. Should such an incident occur against a Service person support pathways include unit welfare officers, the chain of command, and pastoral support via the chaplaincy. Further assistance is also available via external pathways such as Togetherall, an independent digital mental health support tool operated by the NHS in partnership with the Ministry of Defence, through which Service personnel, veterans, and their family members can anonymously access tailored self-help courses.

RM Bickleigh: Repairs and Maintenance

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2023 to Question 177936 on Bickleigh Barracks: Repairs and Maintenance, how many power outages were there at Bickleigh Barracks in the last 12 months; on what days power outages were reported; how long each power outage lasted; and if he will make an estimate of the number of service personnel that were affected by each outage.

James Cartlidge: There were 34 reported power outages at Bickleigh Barracks between April 2022 to December 2022, the most recent period for which data is available. Detailed information will be placed in the Library of the House. Data is unavailable for 2023 as it is no longer recorded by VIVO, our maintenance contractor for the Barracks. Not all power outages were due to Ministry of Defence (MOD) activities, a number of reported power outages were due to problems with the National Grid. The data regarding the duration of power outages is not held by the MOD. There are 540 Service personnel based at Bickleigh Barracks. Data regarding the number of Service personnel affected by each power outage is not held.Bickleigh Barracks; Power outage costs to MOD (xlsx, 23.9KB)

HMS Prince of Wales

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many days has HMS Prince of Wales spent in harbour due to mechanical difficulties since its commission into the Royal Navy.

James Cartlidge: HMS PRINCE OF WALES was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 10 December 2019 and has since spent 267 days at sea.Between October 2020 and April 2021, the ship was alongside for 193 days undergoing repairs to damage caused by floodwater.In August 2022, HMS PRINCE OF WALES suffered a shaft coupling failure which requires a complex repair. She arrived in Rosyth to prepare for dry dock repairs on Monday 10 October. These repairs are ongoing, and we remain committed to ensuring HMS PRINCE OF WALES commences her operational programmes, as planned, in autumn 2023. This will include operational flying training and trials.The normal operating cycle of every ship involves the vessel entering different readiness levels depending on their programmes, periods of refit and Departmental planning requirements.

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what equipment was taken from HMS Prince of Wales to re-equip HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2023.

James Cartlidge: It is common practice in modern navies for equipment to be transferred amongst ships of the same class to allow ships to remain operationally available. This ensures the Royal Navy meets all its operational commitments. For reasons of operational security, it would be inappropriate to comment on the specifics of equipment transfer.

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who is responsible for paying for works to repair the propulsion equipment on HMS Prince of Wales.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (The Baroness Goldie DL) on 3 April 2023 to Question HL6632 in the House of Lords.HMS Prince of Wales: Repairs and Maintenance (docx, 24.1KB)

RM Bickleigh: Repairs and Maintenance

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2023 to Question 177936 on Bickleigh Barracks: Repairs and Maintenance, what the cost to his Department was of resolving the 243 maintenance tasks at Bickleigh Barracks.

James Cartlidge: VIVO are contracted by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to effect repairs and restore functionality for all works under the Inclusive Repair Threshold (IRT) of £3,205. To confirm, 224 of the 243 maintenance tasks were addressed as part of this Core Contract and so no breakdown of individual costs can be provided. The other 19 maintenance tasks required follow-on works which were above the IRT and classed as Billable Works (BW). 10 of these BW have been completed at a total cost to the MOD of £79,000. The other nine are either in progress or at the planning stage, so there has been no cost to the MOD to date.

HMS Prince of Wales

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the running aground of HMS Prince of Wales caused any damage to the rudder on that ship.

James Cartlidge: HMS PRINCE OF WALES (PWLS) has never run aground.

Military Bases: Asylum

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the use of Ministry of Defence sites apart from sites at Scampton and Wethersfield for future use as accommodation for people seeking asylum.

James Cartlidge: On Wednesday 29 March 2023, the Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick confirmed to Parliament that the Home Department had expressed an interest in the acquisition of surplus Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites as part of their strategy for managing migrant accommodation. The list of MOD sites for disposal is publicly available and has been shared with the Home Office as part of those discussions. The list of sites that the Home Office are currently planning to take forward has also been made publicly available and can be accessed via the Government website.

Sea King Helicopters: Exhaust Emissions

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2023 to Question 177951 on Sea King Helicopters: Exhaust Emissions, whether the literature on benzene exposure in general and multiple myeloma relates to the benzene contained in Sea King helicopter fumes.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Institute for Naval Medicine investigated potential cancer risks from benzene exposure from Sea King exhaust fumes in 2022. The investigation used literature from exposure to benzene in industrial settings, as there was a lack of specific study data relating to exposure to benzene in Sea King exhaust fumes. Exposure in industrial settings were at a higher concentration and for longer exposure periods than might have been experienced on the Sea King. Therefore, it is more likely that any link between exposure to benzene and multiple myeloma would emerge from those epidemiological studies. As I have stated previously, I have asked for the opinion of the Independent Medical Advisory Group and once received I will provide the hon. Member with an update.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) financial and (b) other guidance his Department provides to claimants who are successful in receiving payment from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

Dr Andrew Murrison: All successful claims notified under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) are issued with a supporting information sheet.This provides the details for accessing independent financial advice, guidance on the impact of AFCS awards on other benefits and explains the Benefit Cap Exemption.Information is also provided on the Reconsideration and Independent Tribunal appeal process, support with medical expenses, concessionary travel and where to obtain further support.

Sea King Helicopters: Exhaust Emissions

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2023 to Question 177951 on Sea King Helicopters: Exhaust Emissions, when his Department first investigated the potential link between long exposure to Sea King helicopter exhaust fumes and people developing multiple myeloma cancer.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Institute of Naval Medicine first investigated potential links between benzene exposure from Sea King exhaust fumes and multiple myeloma cancer in 2022. The investigation was specific to benzene exposure and not to exposure to the exhaust emissions as a whole.

Sea King Helicopters: Exhaust Emissions

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2023 to Question 177951 on Sea King Helicopters: Exhaust Emissions, for what reason the Institute of Naval Medicine Toxicologist was asked in 2022 to investigate whether there were any causal links between exposure to Sea King helicopter exhaust fumes and the likelihood of developing multiple myeloma cancer.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The investigation carried out by the Institute of Naval Medicine was in response to the enquiries raised in correspondence to the Ministry of Defence in 2022.

Sea King Helicopters: Exhaust Emissions

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2023 to Question 177951 on Sea King Helicopters: Exhaust Emissions, how many reports his Department has made on exposure of Sea King air crew to exhaust fumes.

Dr Andrew Murrison: There have been five Occupational Hygiene surveys looking at exposure to different components of Sea King exhaust fumes carried out by the RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine and the Institute of Naval Medicine, the first of which was in 1999.

Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the representatives of the (a) service charity sector, (b) in-scope bodies and (c) veteran community his Department plans to consult with as part of the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department plans to take to consult with a diverse range of representatives from the veteran community on the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to use any external consultants for the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to use external consultants for the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Government (a) bodies and (b) services are within the scope of the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) resources and (b) funding he has allocated to the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) total and (b) full-time equivalent civil servants from his Department work on the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) full-time equivalent and (b) total staff in his Department are working on the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans.

Dr Andrew Murrison: An interdepartmental team, led by a Senior Civil Servant, has now been appointed to lead the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans. David Richmond, the Government's Independent Veterans Adviser, is working closely with the Lead Reviewer to ensure a diverse range of veteran representatives are engaged. The review is expected to last around three months. Currently there are no plans to engage external consultants on this review, although the lead reviewer is a Senior Civil Servant who is external to the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Alongside the Lead Reviewer there are a further two civil servants working full-time on the review. They will be supported as necessary by others within the Cabinet Office and the MOD. There are currently no plans to provide additional funding for the Review. Services which are part of the review are: Veterans Welfare ServiceDefence Transition ServicesIntegrated Personal Commissioning for VeteransThe Northern Ireland Veterans Support OfficeThe Veterans' GatewayThe Veterans Advisory Pensions CommitteesIlford Park Polish Home This work will complement the Quinquennial Review of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, which is due to be published shortly. The report on UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans will be published by autumn 2023 and will include full recommendations and a list of who was consulted as part of the review. The MOD and Office for Veterans' Affairs will develop an action plan to address the findings and recommendations, with a focus on implementing meaningful change that will enhance service effectiveness and delivery. A copy of the review and the Government's response will be placed in the Library of the House.

Ministry of Defence: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on staff training related to diversity and inclusion in 2022.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Northern Ireland: Terrorism

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what sentences were handed down to the four men that his Scots Guards patrol captured in possession of an explosive device on 19 May 1992 in West Belfast.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The information requested is not held by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) who were captured were civilians and, as such, were not subject to the Service Justice System for which MOD holds data. Captured IRA members would most likely have been processed under the civilian justice system in Northern Ireland. If they were charged and subject to trial, it would have taken place through the Northern Ireland Court Service (established in 1979).

Hunting: Licensing

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of licensing of trail hunting on his Department's owned and managed land.

James Cartlidge: Third party activities on the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Estate including trail hunting take place under licences which contain provisions to comply with all legal requirements, including those related to the protection and welfare of flora and fauna. Any fixtures booked under the licence will also take into account any additional site-specific matters. There are no plans to make a specific assessment of the potential impacts of licensing trail hunting on MOD land.

Military Bases: Energy

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2023 to Question 176546 on Military Bases: Solar Power, when the Defence Estate Energy Strategy will be published.

James Cartlidge: The Defence Estate Energy Strategy is expected to be completed this financial year.

Hercules Aircraft: Decommissioning

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to remove the C-130J Hercules transport plane from service.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Bournemouth East (Tobias Ellwood) on 16 March 2023 to Question 163730.Hercules Aircraft (docx, 22.2KB)

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of when HMS Prince of Wales to return to operational service.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (The Baroness Goldie DL) on 3 April 2023 to Question HL6891 in the House of Lords. HMS Prince of Wales: Repairs and Maintenance (docx, 17.8KB)

Type 31 Frigates

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost of building the five new Type 31 class frigates; whether those costs have increased since the contract was signed; and if he will make a statement.

James Cartlidge: Since the signature of the Type 31 manufacture contract in November 2019 the Ministry of Defence has agreed with Babcock an increase in the overall price of the contract of some £40 million as a result of the impact of COVID and supply chain volatility. This amounts to only circa 3% of the production cost of the ships. The average production cost remains £250 million per ship.

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the results of the naval engineering inquiry into the propulsion problems of HMS Prince of Wales.

James Cartlidge: The Non-Statutory investigation has now concluded, and a letter was submitted to the House of Commons Defence Committee on 3 April 2023 providing details of the defect investigation outcome.

Ukraine: Corruption

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made a recent assessment of (a) the level of corruption in Ukraine and (b) the potential impact of that corruption on UK arms supplies.

James Heappey: The Strategic Export Licensing Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to consider carefully the risks, including the risk of diversion.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the speech by the Prime Minister at the Munich Security Conference on 18 February 2023, when the UK will supply longer-range weapons to Ukraine.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the speech by the Prime Minister at the Munich Security Conference on 18 February 2023, when the UK will supply longer-range weapons to Ukraine.

James Heappey: We are liaising with the Ukrainian Government and continue to respond to their requests to supply more weapons to help Ukraine defend itself. We will not comment on delivery of specific capabilities for reasons of operational security.

Challenger Tanks

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for the Armed Forces to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee on 8 March 2023, how many regiments of Challenger 2 tanks are available to the Army as of 27 April 2023.

James Heappey: The British Army holds an active fleet of 213 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks. The Army has three Type 58 Armoured Regiments: The Queen's Royal Hussars, The King's Royal Hussars and The Royal Tank Regiment.The Army continually reviews the readiness of its equipment; however, it would be inappropriate to comment further due to the potential impact on security and operational effectiveness.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the speech by the Prime Minister at the Munich Security Conference on 18 February 2023, what longer-range weapons the UK intending will supply to Ukraine.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the speech by the Prime Minister at the Munich Security Conference on 18 February 2023, what longer-range weapons the UK will supply to Ukraine.

James Heappey: The UK and partners will continue to ensure we equip Ukraine as best we can to defend its sovereign territory and that the capabilities we provide meet the demands of the conflict as it evolves. We will not comment on delivery of specific capabilities for reasons of operational security.

Ukraine: Depleted Uranium

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of providing Ukraine with depleted uranium shells on radiation levels.

James Heappey: Depleted uranium rounds obviously have a high impact upon those in the target armoured vehicle. Beyond that the effects are limited, primarily to the remains of the targeted vehicle and some potential heavy metal contamination localised around the impact zone. Radiation from depleted uranium is not discernible from natural background radiation at impact sites.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to measure the value for money of the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to more tightly define the purposes for which Shared Prosperity Fund funding can be spent.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to provide extensions to permitted expenditure windows for Shared Prosperity Fund funding in certain circumstances.

Dehenna Davison: I refer the Hon. Member to the UKSPF evaluation strategy published in March 2023 and UK Shared Prosperity Fund: reporting, monitoring and performance management (3) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The UKSPF improves on EU structural funds by focusing on UK priorities, including key government priorities of building pride in place, improving life chances, and boosting skills.

Social Rented Housing: Homelessness

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the social housing sector in helping to tackle (a) homelessness and (b) rough sleeping.

Felicity Buchan: The latest homelessness statistics can be found here and include information on the social rented sector.

Voter Authority Certificates

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many applications have been made for Voter Authority Certificates.

Dehenna Davison: Further to the answer given to Question UIN 165271 on 20 March 2023, I refer the Hon Member to the response to the Urgent Question on 27 April 2023 (Official Report, HC, Volume 731, Column 619 ).

Elections: Proof of Identity

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that young people are not discouraged from voting after the introduction of Voter ID.

Dehenna Davison: Further to the answer given to Question UIN 171446 on 31 March 2023, Cabinet Office research shows that 98% of electors already own a form of photographic identification that is accepted and this increases to 99% for those ages 18-29.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much his Department spent on staff training related to diversity and inclusion in 2022.

Dehenna Davison: The Cabinet Office pays for and provides e-learning on inclusion for the Civil Service on the Learning Platform for Government.During 22/23 DLUHC spent £18,073 on the 'Disability Confident Line Manager' programme. Objectives of this programme included legislation in relationship to disability at work and how to support an employee with a disability in the workplace.

Voter Authority Certificates: Ethnic Groups

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March to Question 171447 on Voter Authority Certificates: Ethnic Groups, if he will make a statement on collecting data on the declared ethnicity of applicants for Voter Authority Certificates.

Dehenna Davison: As noted in the response referenced in the question, data on the declared ethnicity of applicants for Voter Authority Certificates is not held centrally.Research commissioned by the Cabinet Office shows that people in an ethnic minority group were more likely to hold photographic identification than individuals from the White group (99% vs. 98%).

Inter Faith Network for the United Kingdom: Finance

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much his Department has paid to the Inter Faith Network in accordance with Section 70 of the Charities Act 2006 in each of the last 10 years; and how much his Department plans to pay in 2023-24.

Dehenna Davison: Funding provided to the Inter Faith Network by the department in each of the last ten years in accordance with Section 70 of the Charities Act 2006 can be found in the table below. There are currently no plans for the department to fund the organisation in 2023/24.2013/14£220,0002014/15£229,7902015/16£220,0002016/17£305,2352017/18£382,3002018/19£385,0002019/20£385,0002020/21£220,9242021/22£350,0002022/23£250,000

Leasehold: Reform

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department's plans for leasehold reform will apply to leaseholders where the freeholder is a local authority.

Rachel Maclean: Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.

Neighbourhood Plans: Finance

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to provide further funding for the Neighbourhood Planning Support Programme run by Locality; and what his timetable is for making that funding available.

Rachel Maclean: Announcements would be set out in the usual way.

Housing: Construction

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with Homes England on the compatibility of its housebuilding programme with its (a) commitment to co-operate with (i) local authorities and (ii) other bodies on safeguarding the natural environment and (b) other principles in the Home England Safety, Health and Environmental policy.

Rachel Maclean: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Private Rented Housing: Rents

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will introduce a rent freeze in England.

Rachel Maclean: As set out previously, including in the answer given Question UIN 157681 on 13 March 2023, the Government does not support a rent freeze in the private rented sector. Evidence from other administrations suggests rent controls in the private rented sector have unwelcome consequences, discouraging investment and leading to declining property standards. The Government notes the opposition of the housing minister in the Welsh Government to rent freezes and her statement that they would have “unintended consequences".

Buildings: Insulation

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Scottish Government on (a) insurance and (b) lending issues relating to buildings with cladding.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent progress he has made on implementing the recommendations of the Financial Conduct Authority in its Report on insurance for multi‑occupancy buildings, published in September 2022.

Lee Rowley: The Department works closely with the Devolved Administrations to discuss shared challenges, including regarding properties affected by cladding, wider building safety and related insurance issues.On the 30 January 2023, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced that we will act to ban property managing agents, landlords and freeholders from receiving commissions and other payments from insurance firms, replacing such payments with more transparent fees.

Flats: Safety

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department have made of the impact of (a) labour shortages and (b) the supply chain on the length of time taken to remediate building safety faults on residential flats.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of the average length of time taken to remediate building safety faults on residential flats.

Lee Rowley: Building safety faults can be wide ranging and varied in scope, and projects can vary considerably in the time taken to complete.From the outset of the Building Safety Fund, the Department has engaged industry. We have provided direct expert support to projects, run a series of market engagements, and have also supported industry bodies such as the Construction Leadership Council.

Local Government: Redundancy

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his timeline is for completion of the local government redundancy modification order.

Lee Rowley: Announcements will be set out in the usual way.

Members: Correspondence

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 17 February, 21 March and 14 April 2023 from the Rt hon. Member for Islington North on cladding.

Lee Rowley: A response has been issued to the Rt. Hon. Member's correspondence. I apologise for the delay in responding.

Local Government: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department provides training on good governance and practice to local authority (a) officers and (b) senior officers.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department provides training on good governance and practice to local councillors.

Lee Rowley: In 2022/23, the department funded governance training for councils via the Local Government Association (LGA).The LGA provides bespoke support to councils by networks of LGA regional advisers and the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny. The full sector improvement programme can be found on the LGA website.

Council Tax: Debt Collection

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of local authorities' use of bailiffs to collect council tax arrears on residents.

Lee Rowley: The administration of council tax is the responsibility of local authorities. The Department has published best practice guidance on council tax collection.

Building Regulations: Leasehold

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the average costs incurred by a leaseholder due to the building safety regime since 28 April 2022.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to Question 180227 on 24 April 2023.

Women and Equalities

Employment: Disability

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of legal protection for disabled people when (a) applying for work and (b) having their employment terminated.

Stuart Andrew: There is long-standing legal protection for disabled people under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). The Act makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a disabled job applicant or employee because of their disability, provided the Act’s definition of disability is met. Specifically, the Act requires employers to make reasonable adjustments in relation to the disabled job applicant’s assessment and interview process and, once employed, the disabled employee’s job and decisions made in relation to it. These adjustments ensure that disabled applicants or employees are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to their non-disabled colleagues. The failure of an employer to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled employee or job seeker, or discounting a job application simply because the applicant is disabled could amount to direct disability discrimination under the Act. Similarly, where an employer is looking to reduce their staff, choosing someone for redundancy simply because they are disabled, may amount to unlawful discrimination. However, the Act also recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled employees and the circumstances of their employers. What is ‘reasonable’ will therefore vary from one employer to another because of factors such as the practicality of making the adjustment, the cost of the adjustment to the employer and the resources available to different employers. In the event of a claim of alleged disability discrimination, it will ultimately be for the courts to decide on a case-by-case basis, what reasonable adjustments should be made for a particular disabled service-user, taking into account all relevant circumstances of the case. In terms of employment law, should a person be unfairly dismissed because they have a disability, they can seek redress under the Act for being discriminated against by their employer. Where an employer treats a worker with a disability or life-limiting illness so badly that the worker is forced to resign from their job, the constructive dismissal provisions in employment law may apply.

Racial Discrimination

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the report of the Runnymede Trust and Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation entitled Dear Stephen: Race and belonging 30 years on, published in April 2023, whether she has made an assessment of the impact on her Department's policies of that report's findings.

Maria Caulfield: The report ‘Dear Stephen: Race and belonging 30 years on’ concludes that we have made ‘considerable progress on the path to achieving racial equality’ since the tragic death of Stephen Lawrence, although there is still more to be done. This is similar to the conclusions reached by the independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. Our response to the Commission’s work, Inclusive Britain, was published in March 2022 and sets out a ground-breaking action plan to tackle unjust disparities across education, employment, health and criminal justice. Earlier this month the government published a report to Parliament on the substantial progress we have made in delivering this action plan, with 32 of the 74 actions now completed, and how this work is making a real difference to people’s lives.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy: Conservation

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help improve the energy efficiency of (a) schools, (b) NHS buildings, (c) leisure facilities and (d) local authority public buildings.

Graham Stuart: As set out in the Net Zero Strategy, the Government has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037. To support this, £2.5 billion is being invested through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme over the financial years 2020/21 to 2024/25 to provide grants for public sector bodies in England to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures. A further £61 million has been made available through the Low Carbon Skills fund between FY2020/21 and 2023/24 to help public sector bodies develop decarbonisation plans for their buildings.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the impact of phase (a) one, (b) two and (c) three of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme on the level of carbon emissions in public buildings.

Graham Stuart: Published estimates of carbon savings from Phase 1, 2 and 3 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-and-emissions-projections-2021-to-2040 (see Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme impacts in Annex D). These carbon impacts are forecasts based on economic modelling. There are currently two ongoing evaluations of PSDS, covering process, impact, and value-for-money evaluations of Phases 1 to 3. Findings of these evaluations, including consideration of carbon impacts, will be published in due course.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many jobs did Phase 1 of the public sector decarbonisation scheme support.

Graham Stuart: Phase 1 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme was part of my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer’s “Plan for Jobs 2020” commitment to support the UK’s economic recovery from COVID-19 and aimed to support up to 30,000 skilled jobs in the low carbon and energy efficiency sectors. The final projects funded through this phase were completed in 2022. Evaluation and monitoring work of this Phase of the Scheme is ongoing and will be published in due course.

Energy: Telephone Services

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of requiring energy suppliers to operate dedicated phone lines for customers on a Priority Services Register.

Amanda Solloway: Ofgem rules require energy suppliers and network operators to establish a Priority Service Register of their domestic customers in vulnerable situations and provide a range of services free of charge such as, wherever possible, advanced notice of schedules power cuts, priority support in an emergency, regular meter reading service. The administration of the register, however, is a commercial matter for individual companies.

Energy: Telephone Services

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of capacity of energy supplier customer service phone lines to meet customer demand.

Amanda Solloway: Ofgem is currently undertaking proactive market-wide assessments of energy suppliers’ performance on key areas in the form of Market Compliance Reviews. Their review published on 2 February looked at customer service and complaints performance from information submitted by 17 of the biggest domestic energy suppliers. The review found weaknesses across all suppliers and Ofgem has since communicated the ratings to all suppliers and has started compliance engagement on areas needing improvement.

Energy: Medical Equipment

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of the extent to which energy suppliers are advising customers to make less frequent use of medical equipment which impacts their energy usage.

Amanda Solloway: Energy suppliers can provide advice on how to reduce household energy bills. They should not, however, advise on the energy usage needed for medical equipment. Consumers in vulnerable situations can access free support services to help manage their energy via their supplier or network.

Energy Bills Rebate

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what proportion of eligible households who have not received Energy Bill Support Scheme payments automatically have made an application for the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding.

Amanda Solloway: The Government does not at this stage have figures on the number of eligible households who have applied for the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding. These figures will be made available in May.

Energy: Arrears

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of households in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London that have fallen into arrears with their energy bill payments in the last (a) six and (b) 12 months.

Amanda Solloway: The Government does not hold this information. Ofgem publishes statistics on energy debt and arrears which can be found at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/debt-and-arrears-indicators. The Government introduced the ‘Breathing Space’ scheme which aims to address the ability of consumers to tackle debt and offers legal protections from creditors for 60 days. Under Ofgem rules, energy companies must set appropriate repayment plans based on a customer’s ability to pay for those at risk of, or in, debt.

Nuclear Power: Technology

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support nuclear technology companies.

Andrew Bowie: The Government provides a range of support to nuclear technology companies. This includes:Investment of £700m to develop the Sizewell C project;Grant schemes such as the up to £120m Future Nuclear Enabling Fund and up to £75m Nuclear Fuel Fund to support, respectively, new nuclear projects and the UK’s nuclear fuel supply chain;R&D initiatives like the up to £385m Advanced Nuclear Fund that funds Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and Advanced Modular Reactor development. Up to £210m of this is helping to develop Rolls Royce’s SMR design; andLaunching Great British Nuclear to drive delivery of new nuclear projects.

Energy Company Obligation

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which (a) companies and (b) organisations have made representations to his Department on the adequacy of the eligibility criteria for the ECO4 scheme; and how many and what proportion of those representations relate to difficulties in identifying properties suitable to progress to installations under that scheme.

Graham Stuart: The Government has been made aware of difficulties in delivering ECO4 by energy suppliers and energy efficiency organisations and is currently investigating these. The Government previously consulted on some smaller changes to the scheme that seek to make delivery easier in some specific cases. The proposed amendments were covered in the consultation for the GB Insulation Scheme, and the Government Response to this was published on 30 March. The Government continues to monitor the delivery of ECO4 and will consider changes if necessary. Changes to the policy details of the scheme would require public consultation and regulatory change.

Carbon Emissions: Public Sector

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, by how much and what proportion the Government has decreased public sector building emissions since 2010.

Graham Stuart: Greenhouse gas emissions from public sector buildings in the UK in 2021 were 21% (2.0 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) lower than in 2010. This estimate includes emissions directly from the combustion of fuels within buildings but not emissions from the supply of the fuels and electricity used in buildings.

Carbon Emissions: Buildings

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made on the proportion of Britain's carbon emissions that derive from (a) domestic and (b) public buildings.

Graham Stuart: In 2020, greenhouse gas emissions from domestic and public buildings made up around 17% and 2% respectively of total net territorial greenhouse gas emissions in Great Britain. These estimates include emissions directly from the combustion of fuels within buildings, but not emissions from the supply of the fuels and electricity used in buildings

Energy: Standing Charges

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has taken steps to support people with further increases in the standing charges for energy bills.

Amanda Solloway: The energy price cap sets a limit on unit rates and standing charges, ensuring that millions of households pay a fair price for their energy. The standing charge reflects the on-going costs that fall on a supplier to provide and maintain a live supply to a customer’s premises. In the meantime, the Energy Price Guarantee has been extended for an additional 3 months at its current level from April 2023 to the end of June 2023. This brings a typical household energy bill in Great Britain down to around £2,500 per year.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Innovation

Paul Howell: Whether she plans to support the creation of regional innovation clusters.

George Freeman: Strengthening clusters is a top priority for building our Innovation Nation. More places in the UK hosting world-leading and globally connected innovation clusters will create more jobs, productivity and growth.  This will require significant investment from the private sector, both domestic and overseas. The interactive digital tool we will publish in September, which maps the UK’s clusters, will be crucial in helping us attract this investment and informing future policy.  In the meantime, we continue to fund a range of programmes to enhance clusters. For example, we are investing £100 million to pilot Innovation Accelerators in three city regions, helping them become major, globally competitive centres for research and innovation.  Catapults have a track record of accelerating growth clusters, both building national capacity and driving local impact. For the next 5-year funding period the UK’s 9 Catapults will receive £1.6bn of direct public funding. An example is the Connected Places Catapult which is the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport and place leadership.

Life Sciences: Health Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the alignment between the Government’s Major Conditions Strategy and the Life Sciences Vision.

George Freeman: Both the Major Conditions Strategy and the Life Sciences Vision look to support the health system in preserving good health and the early detection and treatment of diseases. As part of the Life Sciences Vision, we have already made progress on dementia, mental health and cancer, announcing £157.7M of funding and appointing expert Mission chairs. The Major Conditions Strategy will provide further focus on the need to shift the health system’s model towards preserving good health, and the early detection and treatment of diseases, harnessing innovation and technology to reduce demand downstream on health and care services.

Horizon Europe

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress she has made on the ratification of the UK’s association with the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.

George Freeman: The Government welcomes the EU’s recent openness to discussions on UK association to EU Programmes following two years of delays. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State travelled to Brussels ahead of publication of the Pioneer prospectus, for an introductory meeting with R&I Commissioner Mariya Gabriel to discuss research collaboration including the UK’s expectations around association to Horizon Europe. Association to Horizon Europe is our preference. But association would need to be on the basis of a good deal for the UK’s researchers, businesses and taxpayers. If the UK is not able associate on fair and appropriate terms, Pioneer will be implemented – our bold, ambitious alternative.

Immunosuppression: Vaccination

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a UK vaccinology network to research immunogenicity, mucosal immunity, and vaccines for people with compromised immune systems.

George Freeman: The Life Sciences Vision committed the Government to delivering a Vaccines Healthcare Mission which will build on the UK’s deep expertise in vaccines to strengthen the UK life sciences ecosystem, with a particular focus on new and novel technologies. This will include maximising the opportunities to continue to improve core immunology, vaccinology and clinical trial design and infrastructure as well as deepening expertise in vaccine formulation and delivery.

Copyright: Arts

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2023 to Question 181744 on Copyright: Arts, what steps her Department is taking with representatives from creative industries and AI developers to develop a code of practice for text and data mining; and whether her Department will accept written evidence from members of the public who work in (a) creative and (b) tech industries.

George Freeman: To inform the code of practice, the Government will convene a group of AI firms and rights holders to identify barriers faced by users of data mining techniques when accessing copyright materials, and to develop licensing solutions for these. As the draft develops, we will seek evidence from an appropriate range of sources.

Life Sciences: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what proportion of research grant applications submitted to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council under responsive mode have received funding in each of the last five years for which data is available.

George Freeman: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council data is provided in the table below. FYResponsive mode Success RateResponsive mode total applications2021/2226%11852020/2126%9402019/2022%12022018/1925%12462017/1823%1258 The COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted applications and success rates in FY19/20 and FY20/21.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Staff

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's Expert Exchange secondment scheme, announced on 19 April 2023, how many staff employed in her Department as of 24 April 2023 are considered to be science, engineering or technology experts.

George Freeman: This information is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

UK Research and Innovation: Expenditure

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to Table 1a of the Office for National Statistics dataset entitled Research and development expenditure by the UK government, published on 30 March 2023, if she will make an assessment of the reasons for the decrease in net expenditure on R&D by UKRI between 2020 and 2021.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to Table 1c of the Office for National Statistics dataset entitled Research and development expenditure by the UK government, published on 30 March 2023, if she will make an assessment of the reasons for the decrease in net expenditure on R&D by Higher Education Funding Bodies between 2020 and 2021.

George Freeman: UK Government investment in Research and Development is subject to changes between years that reflect the profile of long-term investments. The long-term trend is one of growing investment, with UKRI’s budget set to increase by 31% between Financial Year (FY) 2017/18 and 2024/25. FY2020/21 saw significant one-off investments that did not continue to the same degree into FY2021/22. There was a one-time increase in infrastructure investment of £300 million via UKRI’s World Class Labs programme which concluded in 2021/22. FY2020/21 also saw a large increase in R&D expenditure for emergency Covid research, including vaccines. Higher Education Funding Bodies are devolved for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Therefore, the Department cannot make an assessment of their expenditure.

Science and Technology: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 181128 on Science and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment of the proportion of proposed Pioneer funding that would be spent on (a) set-up and (b) administration costs.

George Freeman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 24th April 2023 to Question 181128.

Social Media: Compensation

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of accounting for the effects of (a) financial harm and (b) reputational damage in false online communications compensation cases.

Paul Scully: The Online Safety Bill will update criminal law in relation to the communications offences, including a new false communications offence, which will criminalise the sending of a message which the sender knows to be false and sends with the intention to cause harm, without any reasonable excuse.Under this offence, harm is defined as 'non-trivial psychological or physical harm', and a person who commits the offence could face a prison sentence.

Internet: Older People

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the expansion of online essential services do not create barriers to access for elderly people.

Paul Scully: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is responsible for coordinating HMG digital inclusion policy, and aims to ensure that as many people as possible, no matter their age, can overcome the barriers of digital inclusion and make the most of digital opportunities.The Government is working to remove barriers and ensure that online services are as inclusive as possible by making public sector websites accessible to as many people as possible. The accessibility regulations ensure that websites and mobile apps are designed to be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Furthermore, assisted digital support services aim to increase digital inclusion for those online users who lack digital confidence, digital skills or access to the internet.We also recognise that ongoing support is essential to overcome barriers of access. Our network of 2,900 public libraries across England provide a trusted network of accessible locations with staff, volunteers, free wifi, public PCs, and assisted digital access to a wide range of digital services. Charities such as Age UK and AbilityNet play an important role in assisting people with access to technology and the internet.

Department for Education

Childcare: Postgraduate Education

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on extending the free 30 hours of childcare offer to include parents who are postgraduate students receiving PhD stipends.

Claire Coutinho: In the Spring Budget 2023, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare. This includes the expansion of the 30 hours free childcare offer, through which eligible, working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from when their child is 9 months old to when they start school. This will be rolled out in phases:From April 2024, eligible working parents of 2-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week (over 38 weeks a year).From September 2024, this will be extended to parents of 9 month to 3-year-olds (over 38 weeks a year).From September 2025, working parents of 9 month to 3-year-olds will be able to access 30 free hours per week (over 38 weeks a year).To be eligible for this offer, as with the current 30 hours offer, parents will need to earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week of pay at national minimum or living wage and less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year.The key objective of this measure is to support parental participation in the labour market, which is why this offer is conditional on work. Students who participate in paid work in addition to their studies and meet the income requirements will still be eligible.There are no plans to extend the eligibility criteria at present. The department recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support other than 30 hours for those in further or higher education.The reforms announced build on the government’s current early education entitlements, which includes the universal 15 hour offer for all parents of 3 and 4-year-olds.Students starting a postgraduate doctoral degree in 2022/23 are eligible to receive a postgraduate doctoral loan of up to £27,892. The loan is intended as a contribution to the cost of study, rather than to specifically cover tuition fees or livings costs.Further information on the childcare offers available to parents can be found at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

Department of Education: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent on staff training related to diversity and inclusion in 2022.

Nick Gibb: The department spent £162,835 on staff training related to diversity and inclusion in 2022.

National Tutoring Programme: Brent

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which schools in the London Borough of Brent received what funding from the National Tutoring Programme.

Nick Gibb: The Department has published school-level information on funding provided through the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) for the 2022/23 academic year. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-tutoring-programme-ntp-allocations-for-2022-to-2023-academic-year. This information includes the Local Authority of each school that received funding.Information for the 2021/22 academic year is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-led-tutoring-conditions-of-grant. This information includes funding provided to schools during the 2021/22 academic year and the net funding position for each school following recovery of any unspent funding. This information applies to school-led tutoring only.School-led tutoring accounted for 84% of the NTP courses delivered in the 2021/22 academic year in the London Borough of Brent. Data on funding received by schools that employed Academic Mentors in the first year of the programme is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-data-on-funding-claims-by-institutions.

Health Professions: Training

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many UCAS applications there were to AHP courses in each of the last five years.

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many UCAS applications there were to healthcare support worker roles in each of the last five years.

Robert Halfon: The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) publishes figures on the number of applications to subjects allied to medicine.The latest data covering applications up to the end of the 2022 admissions cycle is available at: https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-end-cycle-data-resources-2022.To access the figures, click on ‘Applications & offers’ under the ‘Sector’ heading, then select ‘Subject group – HECoS (detailed)’ from the drop-down box at the top of the page. The table then shows the number of main scheme applications to ‘(CAH02) subjects allied to medicine’. To select the full breakdown of subjects allied to medicine in the table, click on the + sign to the left of ‘(CAH02) subjects allied to medicine’. Note that figures are not available on a consistent basis prior to 2019.

Physical Education: Curriculum

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Physical Education curriculum in supporting children to lead healthy active lives.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of progression of learning in Physical Education across all key stages from primary to secondary school.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Primary Education and Sport Premium.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to outsource teaching within delivery of the Physical Education curriculum.

Nick Gibb: Physical education (PE) is a National Curriculum foundation subject at all four Key Stages. Schools are responsible for monitoring the progress of their pupils. There is no requirement for schools to report this information to the Department.It is for schools to decide how to teach PE and deploy staff. At secondary school, Initial Teacher Training recruitment targets for PE teachers are consistently met or exceeded, which ensures a supply of trained staff. The PE and Sport Premium can be used by primary schools to train primary generalist teachers in how to teach PE effectively. The Department has previously published research into the effectiveness of the PE and Sport Premium, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/primary-pe-and-sport-premium-survey.On 8 March 2023, the Government announced multi-million-pound funding to provide high quality PE and sport in schools. This includes confirmation of over £600 million across the next two academic years for the PE and Sport Premium. To support schools to use the PE and Sport Premium effectively, the Department will issue updated guidance in summer 2023 and a new digital tool will be introduced for schools to report on their spending. The Department is also developing plans for a new evaluation of the PE and Sport Premium, alongside other interventions to support the teaching of PE.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Dismissal

Dr Liam Fox: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many employees have been dismissed from the civil service in each of the last 10 years.

Jeremy Quin: The number of dismissals in the Civil Service for each of the last 10 years are shown in the table below. The number of dismissals for the year ending 31 March 2023 are scheduled for release on 26 July 2023 as part of the National Statistics bulletin Civil Service Statistics 2023. The number of staff leaving, by leaving cause, is published as one of the standard tables and all of the dismissal data presented in the answer is already in the public domain. Table 1: Number of dismissals in the Civil Service, 2012/13 to 2021/22 Year endingNumber31 March 20132,39031 March 20142,34031 March 20152,46031 March 20162,57031 March 20172,59031 March 20182,22031 March 20192,36031 March 20202,57031 March 20211,88031 March 20221,950 Source: Annual Civil Service Employment Survey, Cabinet OfficeFigures rounded to nearest 10

Social Media

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish his Department's guidance on vetting social media accounts of potential speakers.

Jeremy Quin: Civil Service Human Resources who sit within the Cabinet Office developed the Due Diligence and Impartiality guidance for all Cross-Government Diversity networks, and this requires the networks to carry out checks on external speakers prior to inviting them to participate in Civil Service events. The revised guidance advises that cross-Government Diversity Networks conduct checks to avoid invitations being issued to individuals and/or organisations that have provided adverse commentary on government policy, political decisions, approaches or individuals in government that could undermine the Civil Service’s position on impartiality and create reputational damage. The guidance emphasises that it is imperative that we retain impartiality across the Civil Service, avoiding any politicised events or groups impacting on the working life of civil servants and distracting from the excellent work delivered on Diversity and Inclusion. The guidance was introduced in November 2021. This helps to ensure when Cross-Government Diversity Networks organise events the Civil Service is not prejudiced by political views but helps deliver efficient public service for the taxpayer.

Veterans: Homelessness

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that homeless veterans have access to accommodation.

Johnny Mercer: This Government is determined to end veterans homelessness this year. To achieve this ambition, we are providing up to £8m to organisations across the UK to address veterans homelessness and rough sleeping through the provision of mental health, employment and recovery provision in veteran supported housing, which will be supplemented by Op FORTITUDE, the designated referral pathway for veterans experiencing or facing homelessness.This is in addition to the £20 million for a Veterans Housing Capital Fund the Chancellor announced during his Spring Budget, which will go towards providing extra housing for veterans through the development of new builds and the refurbishment of existing social and charitable housing.More broadly, veterans are supported by the Government's ‘Ending Rough Sleeping for Good’ strategy which is backed by £2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping across the country.

Civil Service: Recruitment

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2023 to Question 182177 on Civil Service: Recruitment, if he will bring forward proposals to amend the Civil Service Nationality Rules to allow British Nationals (Overseas) visa holders with at least one British Nationals (Overseas) parent but who are not themselves British Nationals (Overseas) to be employed within the Civil Service.

Jeremy Quin: There are currently no plans to amend the Civil Service Nationality Rules. They reflect a long standing legislative framework present under successive governments.

Minister without Portfolio

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, (a) when, (b) for what purpose and (c) at what cost to the public purse the Minister without Portfolio was provided with a ministerial red box.

Alex Burghart: The Minister without Portfolio has not been provided with a ministerial red box in respect of his current ministerial role. There is therefore no cost to the public purse. More widely however, purchasing and repairing red boxes and folders is a routine Government practice under successive administrations, including the last Labour Government.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Avian Influenza: Disease Control

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's consultation regarding the registration of all birdkeepers, published on 7 March 2023, for what reason that policy applies to caged birds without exposure to other birds.

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure any registration process for birdkeepers is effective and easy to use.

Mark Spencer: On 7 March 2023, Defra, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government launched a joint 12-week public GB-wide consultation on proposed registration requirement for all bird keepers as part of our work to tackle avian influenza. The consultation closes at 23:45 on 31 May 2023. Proposed changes include extending the mandatory registration requirements to all bird keepers and not just those who keep 50 or more poultry (as is the current legal requirement) and requiring a mandatory annual update to the registration information. This includes owners of backyard flocks, birds of prey and pigeon fanciers. This proposal will not affect pet birds that are kept entirely inside a domestic dwelling. For example, a parrot or a budgie kept in a cage entirely within a domestic dwelling and which never leaves the said dwelling except for veterinary assistance or short-term (a few days or 2-3 weeks) periods where the owner is unable to look after the bird(s) themselves. A review of the poultry registration process was identified as one of the key lessons from the 2021/22 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak and previous HPAI outbreaks. In addition, the 2018 Dame Glenys Stacey Review recommended the removal of the lower bird number limit for registration of poultry, due to the risk of exotic disease and the operational need to reach all poultry owners when an outbreak occurs. The mandatory registration requirements will enable the Government to communicate with bird keepers quickly, to manage potential disease outbreaks, such as avian influenza, and limit the spread. By registering their birds, keepers will ensure they receive important information on biosecurity rules to help protect their flocks from the threat of avian influenza. Information bird keepers will need to provide includes contact details of the owner, the location where birds are kept and details of the birds (species, number, and what they are kept for). Efficiency and ease of use will be one of the key driving factors in any registration tool. We are working on moving the register to an online portal to allow keepers to access and update their record directly. The online platform will be rolled out in phases, with the first phase likely to be rolled out by summer 2023. The proposed changes will not be implemented until new keepers can register their bird(s) via the online portal and those already registered are able to review and update their information via the online platform.

Food: Prices

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of food inflation that is due to the increased cost of food packaging; and what steps her Department is taking to help reduce these costs.

Mark Spencer: Tackling inflation is this government’s number one priority, with a plan to more than halve inflation this year, and we’re monitoring all key agricultural commodities so that we can work with the food industry to address the challenges they face. Consumer food prices depend on a range of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, as well as Sterling exchange rates. Defra does not have data on packaging costs, however as packaging is only one component of manufacturing costs it will only represent a fraction of a percent in terms of the impact on inflation.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Food

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of her Department's budget was spent on food for her Department in each of the last five years; and how much and what proportion of that food was producedbyUKfarmers.

Mark Spencer: The table below sets out the proportion of separately identifiable expenditure on food compared with the resource DEL (Departmental Expenditure Limits) budget in the last five financial years available. No record is kept of how much or what proportion of that food was produced by UK farmers. Financial YearExpenditure on Food (£000)Resource DEL Budget (£000)Proportion spent on Food2017-185,5811,855,7290.30%2018-196391,995,5020.03%2019-204,3642,245,1320.19%2020-211,0324,621,3970.02%2021-227954,288,9500.02%

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Training

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department spent on staff training related to diversity and inclusion in 2022.

Mark Spencer: The financial information held by the department is limited to customer or supplier. The department spent £1,233,170 with the Civil Service Framework supplier which provides a range of learning and development opportunities. The department is not able to identify how much the department has spent specifically on diversity and inclusion training because our financial reports do not provide course titles.

Elephants: Animal Welfare

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to take steps to ban the advertisement of low welfare elephant tourism venues.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is supporting the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Private Members Bill introduced to this House by Angela Richardson MP on 20 June 2022. The Bill will allow the introduction of regulations banning the advertising and the offering for sale in England and Northern Ireland, of specific low-welfare animal activities which are undertaken abroad. This could include low-welfare elephant activities abroad. The Bill has successfully passed through this House.

Pets: Sales

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent online retailors selling pets in breach of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.

Rebecca Pow: Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, license holders must meet strict license conditions which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse, vary or revoke licences. It is an offence to breach a license condition or carry on a licensable activity without a license and Local authorities are afforded powers to prosecute such cases under the 2018 Regulations. To assist local authorities in their application of the licensing regime, the Government maintains statutory guidance which they must have regard to. This aims to improve consistency in interpretation and application of the licensing regime across England.

Forests: Environment Protection

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Departments planned timeframe is for implementing UK Deforestation Due Diligence regulations; and what priority forest risk commodities it plans to cover.

Trudy Harrison: The UK Government has introduced world-leading due diligence legislation through the Environment Act to help tackle illegal deforestation in UK supply chains. We ran a consultation from 3 December 2021 to 11 March 2022 to seek views on the details of regulations that will implement the Environment Act provisions, to ensure that these are designed effectively. This included a consulting on which forest risk commodities should be covered by these regulations. These commodities include cattle (beef and leather), cocoa, coffee, maize, rubber, palm oil, and soy. The consultation also sought evidence on other commodities driving deforestation. The Government published a summary of responses to this consultation on 1 June 2022 and is committed to implementing due diligence provisions at the earliest opportunity through secondary legislation. Government’s approach on which priority commodities the regulations will cover will be published in due course.

Batteries: Storage

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending safety regulations for the storage of industrial lithium-ion batteries to cover domestic battery storage.

Rebecca Pow: Defra is currently reviewing the existing UK Batteries Regulations, and a consultation is expected by the end of 2023. The review is expected to consider safety risks associated with all batteries during their lifecycle, including safety concerns associated with lithium-ion batteries. Grid-scale lithium-ion battery energy storage systems are covered by a robust regulatory framework which requires manufacturers to ensure products are safe before they are placed on the market, that they are installed correctly, and that any safety issues found after products are on the market or after installation are dealt with. In 2018 BEIS set up an industry-led electricity Storage Health and Safety Governance Group responsible for ensuring that an appropriate, robust and future-proofed health and safety framework is sustained as the industry develops and storage deployment increases. The government is currently working with the industry-led Storage Health and Safety Governance Group to take steps including supporting the development of a product and installation Publicly Available Standard for domestic/small-scale battery storage and developing guidance for grid-scale storage.

Environment Agency: Recruitment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data her Department holds on the amount of time taken to inform candidates applying for jobs at the Environment Agency of the outcome of their application and whether they have been called for interview in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: The average time taken to inform candidates of the outcome of their application to a job advertised at the Environment Agency for each of the past full five calendar years is shown in the table below. The data is for the period between the advert close date and the date the applicant was notified of the outcome of their application. The outcome of the application is either for the applicant to be invited to interview or for them to be informed that they have not been invited to interview  YearAverage time taken in working days for applicant to be notified of the outcome of an EA job application201814.6201912.7202016.0202112.7202212.7 for posts advertised using the established EA recruitment system 13.7 for selected posts that have used a different recruitment system for part of 2022

Avian Influenza

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to increase (a) laboratory and (b) research capacity for monitoring avian influenza in wild birds.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral evidence of her Department's Chief Veterinary Officer to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on avian influenza on 29 November 2022, HC 890, at Question 88, if she will make it her policy to increase funding to the Animal and Plant Health Agency to establish a system for testing wild birds for avian influenza and monitoring the spread of the virus.

Mark Spencer: Defra’s approach to avian influenza in wild birds continues to be led by international best practice and the latest evidence. We are doing all we can to tackle the impact of avian influenza in wild birds, with year-round surveillance, a new research consortium ‘FluMap’ – backed by £1.5m in research funding – to develop new strategies to tackle avian influenza outbreaks, and working closely and meeting regularly with conservation charities, including the WWT, National Trust and RSPB, to consider any further action we can take.  We are working with Natural England as well as key external organisations to develop and implement appropriate actions to support the recovery of vulnerable bird populations in England. Defra fund the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to undertake year-round surveillance of avian influenza in wild birds across Great Britain. To support government’s response to the outbreak and APHA’s surveillance programme, in December 2022 Defra launched a new online reporting system, this service is available together with the Defra helpline 24/7, making it simpler and quicker for the public to report dead wild birds. Avian influenza is a Specified Animal Pathogen under The Specified Animal Pathogens Order 2008 (as amended) (SAPO) and is classified by the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) in relation to the approved classification of biological agents and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) (COSHH). As such diagnostic testing with potentially infectious material must be conducted in high containment. All diagnostic testing in relation to the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain including APHA’s surveillance in wild birds are therefore carried out at the avian influenza National Reference Laboratory (NRL) at the APHA Weybridge laboratory using United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) validated tests and in line with World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) standards as set out for Avian Influenza in the WOAH Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals. Capacity at the NRL is adjusted in line with the demands of the outbreak.

Bathing Waters Regulations 2013

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Retained EU Law Bill, what plans her Department has to (a) retain (b) replace or (c) revoke the Bathing Waters Regulations 2013.

Rebecca Pow: Defra is in the process of analysing its retained EU law and determining what should be preserved as part of domestic law, as well as REUL that should be repealed, or amended. We have been clear that we will uphold our environmental protections and the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill will not come at the expense of the protections that are already in place for our bathing waters.

Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Retained EU Law Bill, what plans her Department has to (a) retain (b) replace or (c) revoke the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.

Trudy Harrison: Defra is carefully considering the retained EU law (REUL) within scope of the sunset clause in the REUL Bill, which will include the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 and the Conservation of Offshore Marine Habitats and Species Regulation 2017 (the Habitats Regulations). Defra’s default approach will be to retain REUL unless there is a good reason to either repeal or reform it. Any use of REUL Bill powers will ensure that our environmental law is fit for purpose and able to drive improved environmental outcomes.

Fisheries: Finance

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding opportunities are available for fishermen impacted by Crustacean Mortality in North East England; how much has been allocated to date; and where that information is published.

Mark Spencer: The panel of independent experts set up to assess the cause of crustacean mortality could not find a definitive cause for the mortalities, and concluded that maintenance dredging and capital dredging were very unlikely and exceptionally unlikely to have been the cause. A range of support is provided to the English seafood sector through the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS) and the £100 million UK Seafood Fund. FaSS includes grants of up to £100,000 to support diversification, such as gear to target new species and processing equipment to develop new products. Since opening in April 2021, FaSS has provided £2.2 million to seafood businesses in the North East and is open for applications now. In addition, the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme, part of the UK Seafood Fund, is providing over £260,000 to a project led by the North-Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NEIFCA) that will help establish an ongoing survey programme for the inshore lobster fishery. Further information on this project can be found here: FISP projects: grants and contracts awarded in round 1 of the scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Department for Transport

Railways: Disability

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects his Department to complete the review of the Disabled Persons Railcard being conducted with the Rail Delivery Group and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.

Huw Merriman: The Department is currently working alongside the Rail Delivery Group and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee to undertake a review of the Disabled Persons Railcard and expects to complete the review in the coming months.

Railways: Concessions

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2023 to Question 180134 on Railways: Concessions, if his Department will take steps to ensure that updated eligibility criteria use identity-first language such as autistic people.

Huw Merriman: The Disabled Persons Railcard is administered by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) on behalf of the rail industry. The Inclusive Transport Strategy (ITS) was published on 25 July 2018. The ITS sets out the key policy and investment priorities to deliver a wholly inclusive transport system. Among the key rail commitments include the Department working with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) to undertake a review of the Disabled Persons Railcard (DPRC).   The Department will expect RDG to confirm if they plan to use identity-first language when outlining eligibility criteria following completion of the review.  We expect that the review will be completed in the first half of 2023. The review has looked at different aspects of the current card (e.g., eligibility and discount rate) and is now considering how a revised or refreshed card could be realised for the post-Covid railway.

Active Travel: Finance

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons his Department has reduced the budget for active travel.

Jesse Norman: This Government has done more than any other in relation to the promotion of walking and cycling, and it remains fully committed to the vision that by 2030 half of all journeys in towns and cities are walked or cycled. This is in addition to the objectives outlined in the second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.Around £3 billion is projected to be invested in active travel up to 2025, despite the need for efficiency savings across Government due to global financial pressures, triggered by the impact of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, as well as supply chain disruption as the global economy recovers from the effects of Covid-19.

Aviation: Fuels

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department will take to reduce the cost of producingsustainable aviation fuel.

Jesse Norman: The Government will introduce a SAF mandate from 2025 requiring at least 10% of UK aviation fuel to be made from sustainable sources from 2030. The mandate will drive demand for SAF and the Government expects to see costs fall as production scales up. The Government published its second consultation on the detail of the SAF mandate in April 2023.Alongside this, the Government has also launched the second application window for the £165m Advanced Fuels Fund competition to kick start a UK industry.Philip New’s report on supporting investment in a UK SAF industry was published in April 2023, together with the Government’s response, and the Government is working with industry to consider options for additional revenue certainty to accelerate the growth of a UK SAF industry.

Roads: Greater London

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has provided to Transport for London for the repair of potholes on (a) roads, (b) the principle road network and (c) London borough roads in the (i) 2023-24 financial year and (ii) previous five financial years.

Mr Richard Holden: Government has supported TfL throughout the pandemic as a result of a fall in passenger demand. This includes just under £1.2bn of funding in the latest settlement and takes government’s total funding to over £6bn since the start of the pandemic. However, as transport is devolved in London to the Mayor and TfL, it is for them to decide how much of it is used to maintain London’s roads.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Standards

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his timeframe is for the DVLA to meet its service delivery standards for issuing driving licences across the UK.

Mr Richard Holden: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s published business plan target for 2022/23 is to despatch 95% of driving licences within three working days where the application was made online and 90% within ten working days where the application was made by post. The DVLA is responsible for driver licensing in Great Britain. Driver licensing is devolved in Northern Ireland and is the responsibility of the Driver and Vehicle Agency, part of the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure.

Motorways: Death

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse was of (a) National Highways and (b) its predecessor agencies providing evidence to coroners’ inquests relating to smart motorways in financial year (i) 2018-19, (ii) 2019-20, (iii) 2020-21, (iv) 2021-22 and (v) 2022-23.

Mr Richard Holden: National Highways processes do not capture time spent by their staff on supporting coroner’s inquests.

Ports

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his public consultation proposals are for the review of the national policy statement for ports announced on 14 March 2023.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department intends to undertake thorough public consultation on the review of the National Policy Statement for Ports, later this year. Any proposed amendments will also be subject to appraisal of sustainability and to Parliamentary scrutiny in accordance with the Planning Act 2008, as amended.

Blue Badge Scheme

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many blue badge applications were made by each health condition in the last 12 months.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department for Transport does not collect this information.

Railway Stations: Disability

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reduced levels of train station staffing on people with disabilities.

Huw Merriman: The Plan for Rail sets out the industry’s ambition to move staff from behind the ticket office screens to help passengers wherever they are at the station and so to provide a better service. Moving staff from ticket offices to more visible and accessible roles around stations can help passengers more, which is crucial for those who need additional support. The industry recognises station staff are beneficial for passengers’ safety, and no currently staffed stations will become unstaffed as a result of this reform. Ministers have been engaging closely with the rail industry as it develops staffing and retailing reforms and have been working with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) and other passenger advocacy groups to ensure any impact on passengers is considered. Train and station operators are required by their operating licences to establish and comply with an Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) which must be approved by the Office of Rail and Road, the independent regulator. An ATP sets out, among other things, the arrangements and assistance that an operator will provide to protect the interests of disabled people using its services and to facilitate such use.

Railways: Disability

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has held consultations with disability charities on potential changes to train ticketing.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of pay as you go ticketing on levels of accessibility for disabled users who cannot use the internet or mobile phones.

Huw Merriman: Ministers have been engaging closely with the rail industry as it develops staffing and retailing reforms and have been working with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) and other passenger advocacy groups to ensure any impact on passengers is considered. As modern ticketing and payment methods are rolled out more widely, we will continue to ensure that all passengers who need to use cash, or do not have access to a smartphone or the internet, can buy a ticket. We want to ensure the railway is as accessible as possible for all passengers.

Roads: Standards

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2023 to Question 180901 on Roads: Standards, for what reason he does not challenge National Highways on specific outcomes of individual inspections.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department challenges National Highways on its overall performance on litter collection at national level. In addition, as one of the performance indicators in the Road Investment Strategy, it is subject to monitoring by the Office for Rail and Road as independent Highways Monitor. It would not be proportionate for the Department to routinely assess or challenge the outcome of litter inspections by National Highways at individual locations across the country. The Department is, however, happy to take up with National Highways any specific local littering issues relating to the Strategic Road Network that are raised by Honourable members or other members of the public.

Driverless Vehicles

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the approval process for licensing the use of Tesla Autopilot software.

Mr Richard Holden: Tesla vehicles are approved currently under a GB provisional Type Approval issued by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA). To obtain a Provisional GB type approval, manufacturers must provide VCA with a copy of the current and valid EU type approval certificates for the vehicle type that they wish to place on the market. Details of the provisional approval scheme can be found of the VCA website: https://www.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/vehicle-type-approval/provisional-gb-type-approval-scheme/

Attorney General

Serious Fraud Office

Paul Maynard: To ask the Attorney General, with reference to Sir David Calvert-Smith's report and Independent Review into the Serious Fraud Office’s handling of the Unaoil Case–R v Akle & Anor, published on 21 July 2022, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of her Department's oversight of the SFO and its handling of sensitive and high risk cases in the context of the recommendations in that report.

Michael Tomlinson: Following the initial update in November 2022, a further update on progress will be published in May 2023. The Attorney General will provide an update to Parliament at the same time.

Serious Fraud Office

Paul Maynard: To ask the Attorney General, what discussions her Department has had with the Prime Minister on support of her review of the Serious Fraud Office Framework Agreement.

Paul Maynard: To ask the Attorney General, what discussions her Department has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on support of her review of the Serious Fraud Office Framework Agreement.

Paul Maynard: To ask the Attorney General, what discussions her Department has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on support of her review of the Serious Fraud Office Framework Agreement.

Paul Maynard: To ask the Attorney General, what discussions her Department has had with external organisations on support for her review of the Serious Fraud Office Framework Agreement.

Michael Tomlinson: The review of the Framework Agreement between the Law Officers and the Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has been undertaken by the Attorney General’s Office, with input from the SFO, and in line with guidance published by HM Treasury (Managing Public Money: framework documents - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This has not required discussions with the Prime Minister; Chancellor of the Exchequer; the Secretary of State for Business and Trade; or external organisations. In accordance with this guidance, the approval of HM Treasury will be sought prior to publication.

Serious Fraud Office

Paul Maynard: To ask the Attorney General, when she plans to publish a revised Framework Agreement to govern her Department’s superintendence of the Serious Fraud Office.

Michael Tomlinson: Following the initial update in November 2022, further information on the revised Framework Agreement will be published in May 2023 as part of next update on the progress being made against the recommendations made by Sir David Calvert-Smith. The Attorney General will provide an update to Parliament at the same time.

War Crimes: Ukraine

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Attorney General, what recent discussions she has had with the Ukrainian Prosecutor Generalon the progress ofcriminal investigations and prosecutions inthat country into potential war crimes perpetrated during the Russian invasion.

Michael Tomlinson: The United Kingdom stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine in its fight for accountability for Russia’s actions.The Attorney General has regular contact with her Ukrainian counterpart, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin. She visited him in Kyiv and joined him at Ukraine’s United for Justice conference in Lviv over 3 to 5 March, and more recently hosted him in London for the UK-Dutch Justice Ministers’ Conference in support of the International Criminal Court’s investigation into the situation in Ukraine.Prosecutor General Kostin is responsible for the extraordinary task of investigating and prosecuting crimes committed in Ukraine and has opened over 80,000 files covering a range of alleged offences. The Ukrainian authorities have brought successful war crimes prosecutions already in Ukraine’s domestic courts, in real time during this live and brutal conflict – a practically unprecedented achievement.We are supporting Ukraine in their domestic legal processes through a number of significant initiatives. We have recently concluded a judicial training programme in the region, led by Sir Howard Morrison KC, training over 100 judges in person on the conduct of war crimes trials.The UK, together with the United States and EU, has also launched the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) to directly support the War Crimes Units of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine in its investigation and prosecution of conflict-related crimes. The ACA seeks to streamline coordination and communication efforts to ensure best practices, avoid duplication of efforts, and encourage the expeditious deployment of financial resources and skilled personnel to respond to the needs of the OPG as the legally constituted authority in Ukraine responsible for dealing with the prosecution of war crimes on its own territory.This government remains steadfast in its ongoing support to Ukraine’s search for justice.